Balanced diet and its components MCQs With Answer

Balanced diet and its components MCQs With Answer

A balanced diet provides the right proportions of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals), along with fiber, water, and adequate calories to meet physiological needs. For B.Pharm students, understanding nutrient functions, digestion, absorption, nutrient requirements (RDA, AI, UL), assessment methods, and common drug–nutrient interactions is essential for clinical practice and patient counseling. This topic links pharmacology and nutrition—covering energy metabolism, essential amino and fatty acids, vitamin roles, mineral homeostasis, malnutrition patterns, and therapeutic nutrition (enteral/parenteral). Emphasis on clinical implications and laboratory markers enhances pharmaceutical care. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. What is the most complete definition of a balanced diet?

• Only calories from carbohydrates
• Proportional intake of macronutrients, micronutrients, fiber and water to meet physiological needs
• Diets high in protein and low in fat only
• Strictly vegetarian food items

Correct Answer: Proportional intake of macronutrients, micronutrients, fiber and water to meet physiological needs

Q2. Which macronutrient is the primary and preferred source of immediate energy for the brain?

• Proteins
• Fats
• Carbohydrates
• Vitamins

Correct Answer: Carbohydrates

Q3. How many essential amino acids are required in the adult human diet?

• 5
• 9
• 12
• 20

Correct Answer: 9

Q4. Which two fatty acids are considered essential in the human diet?

• Palmitic acid and stearic acid
• Linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid
• Arachidonic acid and oleic acid
• Lauric acid and myristic acid

Correct Answer: Linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid

Q5. Which characteristic best distinguishes fat-soluble vitamins from water-soluble vitamins?

• Fat-soluble vitamins are excreted rapidly in urine
• Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in body fat and liver and have higher toxicity risk
• Water-soluble vitamins are stored in adipose tissue
• Water-soluble vitamins cause permanent storage in bones

Correct Answer: Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in body fat and liver and have higher toxicity risk

Q6. Vitamin D primarily aids nutritional status by:

• Enhancing iron absorption from the gut
• Promoting calcium absorption and bone mineralization
• Acting as an antioxidant in cell membranes
• Increasing urinary excretion of phosphorus

Correct Answer: Promoting calcium absorption and bone mineralization

Q7. Which statement describes a key drug–nutrient interaction relevant to anticoagulation?

• Vitamin K enhances the anticoagulant effect of warfarin
• Vitamin K decreases the anticoagulant effect of warfarin
• Calcium increases warfarin activity
• Vitamin C strongly potentiates warfarin

Correct Answer: Vitamin K decreases the anticoagulant effect of warfarin

Q8. Iron absorption from the gut is enhanced by which dietary factor?

• Phytates
• Calcium
• Tannins
• Vitamin C

Correct Answer: Vitamin C

Q9. RDA in nutrition stands for:

• Required Daily Amount
• Recommended Dietary Allowance
• Restricted Diet Advice
• Relative Daily Accreditation

Correct Answer: Recommended Dietary Allowance

Q10. Which is a primary physiological benefit of soluble dietary fiber?

• Increases fecal bulk and speeds gastrointestinal transit exclusively
• Reduces serum cholesterol and helps modulate postprandial glucose
• Acts as a complete protein substitute
• Provides essential fatty acids

Correct Answer: Reduces serum cholesterol and helps modulate postprandial glucose

Q11. Glycemic index (GI) measures:

• Fat content per serving
• Rate at which a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood glucose compared to a reference
• Protein digestibility score
• Vitamin content of food

Correct Answer: Rate at which a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood glucose compared to a reference

Q12. According to WHO classification, the normal adult BMI range is:

• 15.0–18.4 kg/m2
• 18.5–24.9 kg/m2
• 25.0–29.9 kg/m2
• 30.0–34.9 kg/m2

Correct Answer: 18.5–24.9 kg/m2

Q13. The main determinant of basal metabolic rate (BMR) is:

• Daily carbohydrate intake
• Lean body mass (fat-free mass)
• Serum vitamin levels
• Dietary fiber intake

Correct Answer: Lean body mass (fat-free mass)

Q14. Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) formulations typically include:

• Only water and electrolytes
• Glucose, amino acids, lipids, electrolytes, vitamins and trace elements
• Solid food fragments for digestion
• Only lipid emulsion and insulin

Correct Answer: Glucose, amino acids, lipids, electrolytes, vitamins and trace elements

Q15. Approximately what percentage of adult body weight is water?

• 10–20%
• 30–40%
• 50–60%
• 80–90%

Correct Answer: 50–60%

Q16. Vitamin B12 absorption requires which of the following?

• Gastrin secretion and jejunal uptake
• Intrinsic factor and absorption in the terminal ileum
• High dietary calcium and colonic bacteria
• Bile salt micelles in the duodenum

Correct Answer: Intrinsic factor and absorption in the terminal ileum

Q17. Which vitamins are best known for antioxidant properties?

• Vitamins B1, B2 and B3
• Vitamins A, C and E
• Vitamins D, K and B12
• Vitamin H and folate

Correct Answer: Vitamins A, C and E

Q18. Chronic excess intake of which vitamin is classically associated with teratogenicity and liver toxicity?

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin K

Correct Answer: Vitamin A

Q19. The primary physiological roles of dietary calcium include:

• Acting as a major energy substrate
• Bone mineralization and neuromuscular transmission
• Serving as a vitamin precursor
• Increasing fat absorption in the gut

Correct Answer: Bone mineralization and neuromuscular transmission

Q20. Zinc is an essential trace element important for:

• Oxygen transport in red blood cells only
• Enzyme function, immune response and wound healing
• Primary energy storage as glycogen
• Direct synthesis of vitamin D

Correct Answer: Enzyme function, immune response and wound healing

Q21. Chromium is primarily involved in which metabolic process?

• Fatty acid beta-oxidation
• Enhancing insulin action and glucose metabolism
• Collagen cross-linking
• Vitamin B12 transport

Correct Answer: Enhancing insulin action and glucose metabolism

Q22. The WHO recommends a daily sodium intake of approximately:

• Less than 2 grams of sodium per day
• 5 grams of sodium per day
• 10 grams of sodium per day
• No limit for healthy adults

Correct Answer: Less than 2 grams of sodium per day

Q23. Adequate dietary potassium is most critical for which physiological function?

• Bone mineral density
• Cardiac electrical activity and cellular membrane potential
• Collagen synthesis
• Vitamin storage

Correct Answer: Cardiac electrical activity and cellular membrane potential

Q24. Which clinical sign is most characteristic of vitamin C deficiency (scurvy)?

• Night blindness
• Bleeding gums and poor wound healing
• Neuropathy with paresthesia
• Rickets

Correct Answer: Bleeding gums and poor wound healing

Q25. Which feature distinguishes kwashiorkor from marasmus?

• Severe wasting without edema
• Generalized edema with fatty liver and protein deficiency
• Only micronutrient deficiency without energy deficit
• Excess body fat with normal protein status

Correct Answer: Generalized edema with fatty liver and protein deficiency

Q26. Grapefruit juice affects drug metabolism primarily by:

• Inducing CYP3A4 to decrease drug levels
• Inhibiting CYP3A4 to increase oral drug concentrations
• Binding to drugs in the stomach preventing absorption
• Increasing renal clearance of most drugs

Correct Answer: Inhibiting CYP3A4 to increase oral drug concentrations

Q27. Which class of antibiotics forms insoluble complexes with calcium, reducing oral absorption?

• Macrolides
• Penicillins
• Tetracyclines
• Cephalosporins

Correct Answer: Tetracyclines

Q28. The primary site for dietary fat absorption is the:

• Stomach
• Small intestine (duodenum/jejunum) with bile salt aid
• Large intestine
• Liver

Correct Answer: Small intestine (duodenum/jejunum) with bile salt aid

Q29. Consumption of industrial trans fats is associated with which lipid effect?

• Decrease in LDL and increase in HDL
• Increase in LDL and decrease in HDL
• No change in lipoprotein profile
• Exclusive increase in HDL only

Correct Answer: Increase in LDL and decrease in HDL

Q30. Which laboratory protein is most useful as a short-term indicator of recent changes in protein-energy status?

• Serum albumin
• Hemoglobin
• Prealbumin (transthyretin)
• C-reactive protein

Correct Answer: Prealbumin (transthyretin)

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