Nutrition - NCLEX-PN

Patients who are taking potassium sparing diuretics must be counseled to eat a diet low in potassium. This is due to the fact that consumption of potassium-rich foods, such as orange juice, can lead to dangerously high potassium levels. Excess potassium levels can cause heart arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death.

The kidney is the main route of potassium excretion in the body. During kidney failure, the kidneys are unable to remove excess potassium from the blood. This can lead to hyperkalemia, which can cause nausea, weakness, numbness, arrhythmia, and cardiac arrest.

Vitamin K deficiency can cause a variety of issues related to inability to form blood clots such as petechiae, excessive bleeding, bruising, heavy menses. This vitamin is also an important part of bone and cartilage formation, with deficiency resulting in malformation of developing bones and cartilage, or deposition of calcium into cartilage or arterial walls.

An intake of 1-6 grams of cinnamon has been shown in studies to lower blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes by as much as 25%, possibly due to its ability to improve insulin sensitivity.

The mot common cause of osteomalacia (known as rickets in children) in the United States is vitamin D deficiency. This is due to vitamin D's vital role in calcium absorption, homeostasis, and metabolism. Osteomalacia is categorized by the softening of the bones.

Vitamin C chelates non-heme iron in food while exposed to the acidic pH of the stomach. This chelated iron then becomes more soluble in the alkaline pH of the duodenum, resulting in increased intestinal absorption of iron.

Serotonin, melatonin, and niacin are all synthesized from L-tryptophan, an amino acid prevalent in many foods including chocolate, oats, dates, milk, sesame seeds, eggs, meat, and cheese. L-tyrosine is involved in the synthesis of dopamine. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter released at the neuromuscular junction, which stimulates contraction of skeletal muscle. Taurine has many biological functions in the cardiovascular, muscular, and nervous systems, as well as others.

Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is an enzyme with multiple important metabolic roles, including the methylation of folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine. MTHFR deletions can result in folate and B12 related anemias and high homocysteine due to interruption of homocysteine recycling into methionine.

Biotin, or vitamin B7, plays an important role in the health of the hair, nails, and skin. Deficiency generally manifests as alopecia, loss of hair color, brittle nails, and dermatitis.

Soluble fiber, present in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, and legumes, delays gastric emptying, increases satiety, and lowers LDL cholesterol by interfering with the absorption of dietary cholesterol. Insoluble fiber passes through the gastrointestinal tract relatively intact, provides bulk for stool, and reduces bowel transit time. Carbohydrates and unsaturated will not lower LDL cholesterol or delay gastric emptying, though they will increase satiety.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, and so will be better absorbed when taken with a meal that contains fat. The other vitamins listed may be better absorbed with food, but do not require fat for transport across intestinal membranes, as they are water-soluble.

Essential amino acids are amino acids that can not be synthesized within the body, but must be consumed through the diet. Tryptophan is the only essential amino acid listed. In all, there are 9 essential amino acids.

Conditionally essential amino acids are those that can be produced by the body under normal circumstances, but may not be able to be produced during certain situations, such as certain disease states or severe catabolic stress. Arginine is the only conditionally essential amino acid listed. Histidine and methionine are both essential amino acids, while aspartic acid is a non-essential amino acid.

Vitamin C is one of the body's most important antioxidants. Antioxidants are reducing agents - that is they themselves get oxidized. Recall: OIL RIG. Thus antioxidants such as vitamin C are electron donors, able to stabilize the free radicals produced by various metabolic processes in tissues and extracellular spaces. Vitamin E (not listed) is another important antioxidant and is actually more potent than vitamin C.

All of the criteria listed and AI (Adequate Intake) (not listed) must be taken into account when establishing a Daily Reference Intake (DRI) except for ADI (Active Daily Intake), which is a fictitious criteria.

The most abundant mineral in the human body is calcium. It is primarily stored in the bones and the teeth, and makes up half of the total weight of the skeleton. In addition, calcium is present in nerves, muscle cells, blood, kidneys, and various other soft tissues of the body.

Capsaicin, found in cayenne peppers and other species of plants in the genus Capsicum, is used in topical analgesic creams to reduce joint and muscular pain. It is thought to work by depletion of substance P in the sensory nerves.

Manganese, found in oats, brown rice, chickpeas, and spinach, is a cofactor for the enzymes that produce the amino acid proline. Proline is essential for collagen shape and integrity, and is an amino acid, not a cofactor. Other important minerals required for collagen production include copper, zinc, vitamin C, and iron.

Children ages 1-18 are at the highest risk for physiological changes due to malnutrition. Significant nutritional deficiencies at this age can cause failure to thrive, stunted growth, long-term brain damage, and increased incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic disease later in life.

Prolonged laxative use can lead to hypokalemia and hypocalcemia. This is due to alterations in gastrointestinal absorption and excretion of potassium and calcium. Magnesium can also be depleted during long-term laxative use, but chromium is unlikely to be affected. Zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium are also not generally impacted by normal laxative use.