Chapter 13 the Trace Minerals
Chapter 13 – The Trace Minerals
Multiple Choice
01. Which of the following is a characteristic of the trace minerals?
a. A deficiency sign common to many trace minerals is dermatitis
b. The amounts in foods are dependent, in part, on soil composition
c. Deficiencies are more difficult to recognize in children than in adults
d. The amount of all trace minerals in the average person totals approximately 100 grams
02. What is the ionic state of ferrous iron?
a. -2
b. -1
c. +1
d. +2
03. What is the ionic state of ferric iron?
a. +3
b. +2
c. -2
d. -3
04. Which of the following is a characteristic of iron transport?
a. Albumin is the major iron transport protein in the blood
b. Transferrin in the blood carries iron to the bone marrow
c. Hemochromatosis results from inability to absorb and transport iron
d. Ferritin functions by transporting iron from the spleen to the bone marrow
05. Which of the following is a protein that carries iron through the circulation to the tissues?
a. Albumin
b. Transferrin
c. Hemosiderin
d. Metallothionein
06. What iron-containing compound carries oxygen in the bloodstream?
a. Ferritin
b. Myoglobin
c. Transferrin
d. Hemoglobin
07. What is the oxygen carrying protein of muscle cells?
a. Transferrin
b. Myoglobin
c. Hemoglobin
d. Cytochrome
08. What fraction of the total iron content of a normal diet is heme iron?
a. 1/100
b. 1/10
c. 1/3
d. 1/2
09. If a person’s body has a total of 5 grams of iron, how many grams would be found in the hemoglobin?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
10. What percentage of the iron in meat is nonheme iron?
a. 0
b. 20
c. 40
d. 60
11. Which of the following foods provides iron in the most absorbable form?
a. Rice
b. Spinach
c. Hamburger
d. Orange juice
12. All of the following factors are known to enhance the absorption of iron except
a. MFP factor.
b. organic acids.
c. ascorbic acid.
d. calcium from milk.
13. Which of the following compounds provides a major storage reservoir for iron?
a. Ferritin
b. Myoglobin
c. Transferrin
d. Hemoglobin
14. All of the following are body proteins directly involved in iron metabolism except
a. ferritin.
b. transferrin.
c. hemosiderin.
d. metallothionein.
15. All of the following characteristics are shared by iron and zinc except
a. absorption is inhibited by fiber.
b. absorption is inhibited by cow’s milk.
c. transport in the blood is primarily by albumin.
d. absorption rises with increased needs of the body.
16. Which of the following characteristics is shared by zinc and iron?
a. Good food sources include dairy products
b. Proteins in the blood are needed for their transport
c. Severe deficiencies lead to delay in the onset of puberty
d. Doses of 10 times the RDA may cause death in children
17. Which of the following characteristics are shared by iron and zinc?
a. Neither functions in the maintenance of blood glucose
b. Neither is circulated from the pancreas to the intestines and back to the pancreas
c. Both are absorbed into intestinal mucosal cells and bound to metallothionein for transport first to the liver
d. Both are absorbed into intestinal epithelial cells but may then be lost by normal villus cell renewal processes
18. Which of the following is a feature of iron absorption?
a. It is lower in people with iron toxicity
b. It is higher in people with iron deficiency
c. It is lower when iron is in the form of heme rather than non-heme
d. It is higher in adults than children due to more mature intestinal function
19. Your cousin Emily is a vegetarian. Since you have just learned in your nutrition class that nonheme iron is absorbed less efficiently than heme iron, you want to make sure Emily is getting enough iron. What should you recommend Emily do to maximize her iron absorption?
a. Choose spinach as her main source of iron
b. Eat her nonheme iron sources with a glass of milk
c. Eat her nonheme iron sources with a glass of orange juice
d. Refrain from any major activity after eating to aid digestion/absorption of iron
20. Among the following, which does not contain the MFP factor?
a. Tuna
b. Spinach
c. Hamburger
d. Chicken leg
21. What is the function of MFP factor?
a. Enhances iron absorption
b. Acts as an iron enrichment nutrient
c. Simulates metallothionein synthesis
d. Acts as chelating agent for iron toxicity treatment
22. When calculating the amount of iron that can be absorbed from a meal, all of the following factors are of major importance except
a. EDTA content.
b. phytate content.
c. vitamin C content.
d. MFP factor content.
23. Which of the following nutrients enhances iron absorption from the intestinal tract?
a. Biotin
b. Calcium
c. Vitamin D
d. Vitamin C
24. Under normal circumstances, what is the average percentage of dietary iron that is absorbed?
a. 10
b. 18
c. 33
d. 60
25. Which of the following is not known to affect iron bioavailability from complete meals?
a. Caffeine
b. Phytates
c. Vitamin C
d. MFP factor
26. All of the following are known to reduce the absorption of iron except
a. tea.
b. coffee.
c. sugars.
d. phytates.
27. How would the body respond typically to loss of blood from hemorrhage?
a. More transferrin is produced to allow absorption and transport of more iron
b. The average life of the red blood cell is increased in order to allow better tissue oxygenation
c. Less iron storage proteins are produced which increases the amount of iron available for synthesis of new red blood cells
d. The liver and muscles release their supply of stored red blood cells which compensates, in part, for the decrease in red blood cell concentration of the circulation
28. All of the following are known to reduce the absorption of iron except
a. phytates.
b. MFP factor.
c. soybean protein.
d. tannic acid in tea.
29. Absorption of iron from supplements is improved by taking them with
a. tea.
b. meat.
c. milk.
d. whole-grain bread.
30. Which of the following is known to enhance iron absorption?
a. Tea
b. Coffee
c. Foods containing vitamin C
d. Foods containing vitamin E
31. Which of the following is known as an iron-overload protein?
a. Transferrin
b. Hemosiderin
c. Marrowferritin
d. Metallothionein
32. A person with high blood levels of hepcidin responds by
a. decreasing iron absorption.
b. increasing iron absorption.
c. decreasing zinc absorption.
d. increasing zinc absorption.
33. All of the following are chief storage sites for surplus iron except the
a. liver.
b. spleen.
c. muscle.
d. bone marrow.
34. What is hepcidin?
a. A factor in meats that enhances iron absorption
b. An intestinal mucosa protein that assists in iron turnover
c. A substance in legumes that interferes with iron absorption
d. A liver-derived hormone that helps regulate iron absorption and transport
35. What is the average lifespan of red blood cells?
a. Two weeks
b. One month
c. Four months
d. Six months
36. Approximately how many people worldwide are thought to be affected by iron deficiency?
a. 1 million
b. 100 million
c. 1.2 billion
d. 3.5 billion
37. Which of the following is a characteristic of iron utilization?
a. Most of the body’s iron is recycled
b. The chief storage site for iron is the intestinal epithelium
c. Iron is absorbed better from supplements than from foods
d. Iron from nonheme food sources is absorbed better than that from heme food sources
38. Iron overload is also known as
a. ferrocyanosis.
b. hemoglobinemia.
c. hemochromatosis.
d. metalloferrothionosis.
39. Which of the following population groups is least susceptible to iron-deficiency anemia?
a. Older infants
b. Children 2-10 years of age
c. Women of childbearing age
d. Men 20-45 years of age
40. Which of the following represents the order of the stages of iron deficiency?
a. Iron stores decline - iron transport diminishes - hemoglobin synthesis falls
b. Hemoglobin synthesis falls - iron transport diminishes - iron stores decline
c. Iron transport diminishes - hemoglobin synthesis falls - iron stores decline
d. Iron transport diminishes - iron stores decline - hemoglobin synthesis falls
41. What is the major cause of iron deficiency?
a. Blood loss
b. Poor nutrition
c. Hereditary defect
d. Parasitic infections of the GI tract
42. Which of the following is found in the first stage of iron deficiency?
a. Iron stores decline as assessed by serum ferritin
b. Hemoglobin levels fall, as assessed by complete blood count
c. Red blood cell count falls, as assessed by hematocrit count
d. Hemoglobin synthesis declines, as assessed by erythrocyte protoporphyrin
43. The most common tests to diagnose iron deficiency include all of the following measures except
a. size of red blood cells.
b. number of red blood cells.
c. DNA content of red blood cells.
d. hemoglobin content of red blood cells.
44. Why are hemoglobin and hematocrit tests of limited usefulness in the assessment of iron status?
a. They are expensive to perform
b. They are notoriously inaccurate
c. They are late indicators of iron deficiency
d. The range of normal value is usually wide
45. What is erythrocyte protoporphyrin?
a. Iron chelating drug
b. Hemoglobin precursor
c. Indicator of iron toxicity
d. Inherited iron deficiency disease
46. The erythrocyte protoporphyrin level is used as an indicator of
a. late iron toxicity.
b. early iron toxicity.
c. late iron deficiency.
d. early iron deficiency.
47. Iron deficiency in children is likely to result from a diet that overemphasizes
a. milk.
b. cereals.
c. vegetables.
d. dried beans.
48. What type of anemia results from iron deficiency?
a. Hemolytic
b. Megaloblastic
c. Microcytic hypochromic
d. Macrocytic hyperchromic
49. Low levels of blood hemoglobin most likely indicate a deficiency of
a. zinc.
b. iron.
c. copper.
d. manganese.
50. Which of the following symptoms would ordinarily not be found in individuals with iron-deficiency anemia?
a. Fatigue
b. Headaches
c. Concave nails
d. Diminished sense of smell
51. Which of the following individuals would most likely need an iron supplement?
a. One-year-old
b. Elderly female
c. Pregnant female
d. Adolescent female
52. Taking into account the intestinal absorption efficiency of iron, approximately how much dietary iron must be consumed to account for the iron lost by donating a pint of blood?
a. 5 mg
b. 15 mg
c. 50 mg
d. 100 mg
53. What is the name given to the ingestion of nonnutritive substances?
a. Pica
b. Goiter
c. Tetany
d. Hemosiderosis
54. Which of the following is a characteristic of iron deficiency?
a. Blood erythrocyte protoporphyrin levels decline as anemia worsens
b. Iron supplements are not as effective at treating anemia as is proper nutrition
c. People with anemia generally become fatigued only when they exert themselves
d. The concave nails of iron-deficiency anemia result from abnormal ferritin levels
55. Which of the following is descriptive of iron deficiency and behavior?
a. The practice of pica may enhance iron absorption
b. Changes in behavior precede the appearance of anemia
c. The practice of pica may delay the onset of iron-induced behavioral changes
d. Adults are more resistant to iron-induced behavioral changes than children
56. Common terms that describe the body’s accumulation of excess iron include all of the following except
a. iron overload.
b. hemosiderosis.
c. hemoglobinemia.
d. hemochromatosis.
57. Which of the following foods should be especially limited in the diet of individuals with hemochromatosis?
a. Dairy products
b. Fluoridated water
c. Iron-fortified cereals
d. Carbonated beverages
58. Why are people with iron overload at increased risk for infections?
a. Excess tissue iron destroys vitamin C
b. Iron-rich blood favors growth of bacteria
c. Iron-rich blood impairs the immune system
d. Excess tissue iron interferes with antibiotic function
59. Which of the following is a feature of the disorder hereditary hemochromatosis?
a. It is characterized by acrodermatitis
b. It is found primarily in women of child-bearing age
c. It is associated with defects of copper and zinc absorption
d. It is the most common genetic disorder in the United States
60. Which of the following disorders may be linked with the presence of high blood iron?
a. Dermatitis
b. Diverticulosis
c. Heart disease
d. Neural tube defects
61. Which of the following describes one aspect of iron toxicity?
a. Among men in the United States, it is twice as common as iron-deficiency anemia
b. In adults, the consumption of alcohol is somewhat protective against absorption of excess iron
c. In most people with this disorder, infections are rare because bacteria are killed by excess iron in the blood
d. It is usually caused by a virus that attacks the intestinal mucosal cells leading to unregulated and excessive iron absorption
62. Signs of iron toxicity include all of the following except
a. apathy.
b. fatigue.
c. hypochromic anemia.
d. increases in infections.
63. The most common cause of iron overload is
a. an injury to the GI tract.
b. a genetic predisposition.
c. excessive use of iron cookware.
d. excessive use of iron supplements.
64. Approximately how much iron would be provided by a balanced diet supplying 2000 kcalories?
a. 3 mg
b. 6 mg
c. 12 mg
d. 30 mg
65. When eaten in the same meal, which of the following foods enhances the absorption of iron in legumes?
a. Nuts
b. Fiber
c. Oranges
d. Whole-grain breads
66. Approximately how much higher is the RDA for iron for a vegetarian woman of childbearing age compared with her nonvegetarian counterpart?
a. 33%
b. 80%
c. 150%
d. 200%
67. Which of the following is the most effective and least costly strategy for preventing an iron deficiency?
a. Consume iron supplements at a level 2-3 times the RDA
b. Switch to iron cooking utensils and eat 4 servings of red meat daily