Nutrition for Exercise and Sport

Multiple Choice Exam

1. Which of the following statements regarding basal metabolic rate (BMR) is NOT correct?
a) It is the most variable component of total energy expenditure
b) If two people are of the same age, gender, body weight and body fat percentage,
differences in their BMR can be explained by genetics
c) Increasing the amount of lean muscle mass a person has will increase their BMR
d) Males tend to have a higher BMR than females due to their greater body mass

2. Which of the Dietary Guidelines for Australians listed below are in conflict with athlete
guidelines?
1. Drink plenty of water
2. Choose low-salt foods and use salt sparingly
3. Include reduced-fat (where possible) dairy products (milks, yoghurts and cheeses)
4. Eat only a moderate amount of sugars and foods containing added sugars.

a) 1, 2 and 4
b) 2 and 4
c) 4 only
d) 1 and 3

3. In which of the following situations would a liquid meal NOT be appropriate?

a) As half time fluids for a football player
b) For a triathlete who gets too nervous to eat before competitions
c) As a recovery snack shortly after exercise when an athlete doesn’t feel like eating solid
foods
d) For a rower with high energy requirements as a snack during on water training session

4. Hyponatraemia, although rare, is most likely to occur in which type of athlete?

a) An elite marathon runner with a well-defined hydration plan
b) A jockey who may have employed dehydrating techniques prior to racing
c) A football player consuming copious amounts of sports drinks during a game on a hot day
d) A slow moving athlete who is drinking excessive amounts of water

5. Which of the following athletes is likely to have the HIGHEST daily protein requirement,
estimated in grams per kg of body mass?
a) An experienced resistance training athlete
b) A female elite gymnast
c) A resistance training athlete who is starting a new program
d) A recreational endurance athlete who trains 5 times a week for 45 mins each session

6. An athlete has come to you for advice, as he has been experiencing some stomach cramping
during intense training sessions. What type of athlete is he most likely to be?
a) A marathon runner
b) A short distance swimmer
c) A rugby player
d) A gymnast

NES Exam Version 1 10/12/09

7. What is the LEAST important factor to consider when making the principles of the training
diet sport specific?
a) Age and experience level
b) Quantity of training
c) Type of competition
d) The athlete’s current weight

8. Which of the following statements is LEAST accurate regarding perspiration and

dehydration?
a) An athlete with moderate to severe dehydration will absorb less fluid so pre-exercise fluid
is very important
b) The fitter you are, the more you sweat, hence it is important to focus on fluid needs to
avoid dehydration
c) Dehydration is only a major concern in professional and elite athletes, and these are the
people we should be focusing our advice on
d) An individual’s sweat loss can be influenced by their genetics

9. Monitoring total energy expenditure in athletes is important because:

a) It helps determine how much energy (kilojoules) they burn
b) It is useful when planning an appropriate weight loss program
c) Results can be used for modifying training programs
d) All of the above

10. A soccer player comes to you regarding a pre-exercise feeding routine. Which of the
following statements is LEAST accurate?
a) There is evidence to support the intake of both protein and carbohydrate prior to training
to benefit the athlete
b) The goals of the training session and training phase will influence the food choices made
c) Consuming a combination of fats and protein before exercise stimulates the release of
insulin
d) Pre-exercise food can impact upon the fuel balance during the session

11. Which of the following foods is NOT a good source of unsaturated fats?
a) Full fat cheddar cheese
b) Peanut butter
c) Oily fish
d) Avocados

12. A marathon runner weighs 60kg before she begins a race in very hot weather. When you
weigh her after the race, you see she has lost 6kg. What is her calculated percentage (%)
dehydration? (note this is a theoretical situation)
a) 5%
b) 10%
c) 1%
d) 3%

NES Exam Version 1 10/12/09

13. Which of the following statements is LEAST useful when considering eating for sport as
opposed to eating for health?
a) When an athlete is trying to increase their weight, they may need to include more healthy
fats and sugar in their diet to increase the energy density
b) The fibre content of meals should be altered to meet an athlete’s individual competition
needs
c) Athletes will generally have higher energy and nutrient requirements hence they will need
an increased volume of food
d) Athletes should be enjoying a wide variety of nutritious foods every day

14. Ensuring the body has adequate fuel supplies is crucial for maximising performance. Which
of the following statements regarding carbohydrate intake during exercise is LEAST
accurate?
a) Fatigue can still occur in athletes even when substantial stores of carbohydrate remain
b) Carbohydrate is stored as glycogen within the liver and the muscles
c) A rate of 30-60g per hour of carbohydrate ingestion during exercise holds true for all
athletes
d) The amount of carbohydrate needed depends on the athlete’s body size and exercise load

15. When helping athletes to ‘bulk up’, which of the following variables are we able to change?
a) Training history and training program
b) Diet and training program
c) Genetics and diet
d) Training program and genetics

16. Which of the following statements regarding sports foods is NOT correct?
a) It is important to educate the athlete on the timing and use of sports foods
b) Liquid meal supplements, sports drinks and sports gels are all examples of sports foods
c) Sports drinks are likely to promote better fluid intakes than water alone due to their
sodium content
d) Sports bars are a less concentrated form of carbohydrates than sports drinks

17. Which of the following strategies would you NOT recommend to an athlete to help improve
their hydration?
a) Encourage them to have fluids with meals
b) To consume fluids during competition only when they are feeling thirsty to reduce fluid
losses through urination
c) Encourage them to have salty foods
d) To aim for approximately 150-250mL of fluid every 15 minutes during exercise to help
replace sweat losses

18. Which of the following statements is LEAST accurate regarding fat intake in athletes?
a) All types of fat should be restricted in those athletes where body fat is a problem
b) High fat foods reduce the ability to eat large volumes of carbohydrates if an athlete has
very high carbohydrate requirements
c) Fat is the most energy dense nutrient, providing a higher energy intake without added
nutrients
d) Reduced-fat or low-fat products should be recommended for all athletes

NES Exam Version 1 10/12/09

19. Matt is a first grade rugby player who is currently training 6 times a week, including games.
To ensure he is recovering optimally in regards to nutrition, you give him some tips. What
would you NOT recommend?
a) To have small, frequent meals after exercise to avoid any gastric discomfort
b) That he takes some of his own foods to games to consume afterwards
c) A good post exercise carbohydrate snack would be a 250mL fruit smoothie
d) That he needs to aim for an intake a 1g/kg of carbohydrate immediately post exercise

20. Which of the following statements regarding protein needs and intake is INCORRECT?
a) Those at risk of inadequate protein intake can include athletes such as lightweight rowers,
gymnasts and jockeys
b) Excess protein intake above requirements will stimulate even greater protein synthesis.
c) Different proteins enter the digestive system at different rates that will impact on their
metabolism
d) Protein needs of resistance trained individuals are lower than inexperienced individuals
because the trained state results in less protein breakdown

21. Leah is a recreational athlete looking to lose some weight before the next netball season. She
works full time and is very busy, often skipping breakfast and then eating big takeaway
lunches. Which of the following pieces of advice would be LEAST useful to her?
a) Breakfast, even a liquid meal, is essential so that she can kick start her metabolism
b) She could pack some nutritious snacks such as fruit and nuts for morning tea to regulate
her appetite and decrease the amount of food she eats at lunch
c) She needs to aim to do some sort of activity each day for approximately 1 hour
d) A long term strategy would be to limit the total amount of carbohydrate she is consuming
each day

22. Which of the following statements regarding fuel sources used during exercise is
INCORRECT?
a) Protein contributes a large amount to the total energy production
b) ATP is the ‘fuel currency’ used by the muscle
c) Exercise intensity and duration greatly influence fuel selection
d) Anaerobic means of energy delivery requires no oxygen for delivery of ATP for muscle
contraction

23. Which type of athlete is MOST at risk of micronutrient deficiencies?

a) A female elite gymnast
b) A professional rugby league player
c) A recreational netball player
d) A competitive heavyweight rower

24. Which of the following statements is LEAST accurate regarding carbohydrate loading?
a) Trainers or coaches should be informed if an athlete is carbohydrate loading so they can
taper the training program appropriately
b) Consuming very high amounts of carbohydrate for 1 day (10-12g/kg body weight) with
no exercise may be enough carbohydrate loading for some athletes
c) Weight gain during carbohydrate loading is most likely due to an increased fat intake
d) The main reason for discarding the ‘old’ or ‘original’ carbohydrate loading strategy was
because athletes found it difficult to train hard on a low carbohydrate intake

NES Exam Version 1 10/12/09

25. Supplements are now widely used in both amateur and professional sport. Which of the
following situations regarding supplement use is INCORRECT?
a) A sprinter uses creatine as part of their interval and sprint training
b) Bicarbonate is beneficial when used in competition by marathon runners
c) Caffeine taken by soccer players just before the beginning of a game
d) Ultimately the athlete is completely responsible for the supplements they take

26. An athlete comes to you wishing to increase their muscle mass, but is confused over
information they found on the Internet. Which of the following statements regarding positive
energy balance can you tell them is INCORRECT?
a) The time frame over which to achieve and ‘energy surplus’ may vary between each
athlete, but is generally achieved over a 2-4 week period
b) Pre and post exercise snacks may be useful for athletes who do not usually consume food
at these times
c) Some athletes struggle to increase the total volume of food at meals, so it is best to opt for
energy dense snacks and increase their meal frequency
d) It is easy to determine how much more a person should eat because we can measure the
extra energy required for hypertrophy

27. Which of the following statements regarding energy balance is NOT correct?
a) Energy balance is the basic idea of energy in = energy out when weight is stable
b) Consumption of food (or energy) in excess of needs will not lead to weight gain
c) The energy cost of macronutrients will determine the overall kilojoule intake
d) Successful weight loss requires a sustained energy deficit

28. As the intensity of an exercise session increases, the fuel usage will change over time. Which
of the following statements regarding aerobic fuel usage and the ‘fat burning zone’ is
INCORRECT?
a) At 85% VO2max, the total amount of energy expended will be greater than at 25%
VO2max, regardless of what type of fuel is being used
b) There is almost always a combination of both carbohydrates and fats being used as fuel
sources by the muscle during exercise, no matter what the intensity is
c) The maximum rate of fat oxidation occurs at approximately 60% VO 2max in trained
individuals, hence this is the intensity they should always train at because it will burn the
most energy
d) Fat usage as a fuel is more predominant at lower exercise intensities

NES Exam Version 1 10/12/09

ANSWERS

A
B
A
D
C
A
D
C
D
C
A
B
D
C
B
D
B
A
C
B
D
A
A
C
B
D
B
C

NES Exam Version 1 10/12/09