Question

“Even though everyone recognizes the mineral, calcium, as being extremely important with respect to bone health, many people do not understand how calcium exists in the body; therefore, this assignment will help to improve your knowledge base with respect to serum calcium levels in the body. You will need to either look up the specific lab values in a laboratory diagnostic textbook, your textbook or other resources and evaluate your MyDietAnalysis Reports to obtain the following information.”

General Research:

1.   “What is the total serum calcium level in the body for a healthy adult?”

2.   “What types of calcium make up the total calcium level?”

3.   “What macronutrient plays a role in whether or not calcium is considered to be in an active state in the body?”

4.   “What major plasma protein is involved in the interpretation of how calcium is measured?”

5.   “What other minerals, vitamins, and hormones play a role in calcium metabolism and should be evaluated for their impact on serum calcium levels?”

6.   “What body organs should be evaluated for their impact on serum calcium levels?”

Individual Research:

7.   “Determine how much calcium you take in over a 2-day time period.”

8.   “Have you met your daily requirements? Why or why not?”

9.   “What food groups are considered to be good sources of calcium in the American diet?”

10. “Since calcium’s relationship with bone health is well established, do you take any type of calcium supplement in order to meet your dietary needs? If so, what type of calcium do you take? If you don’t take a supplement, choose a calcium supplement you think would best fit your needs. Explain why you chose this supplement.”

“Recipe Modification for Sodium Control^[1]

Elizabeth C. is a 42-year-old African-American woman in reasonably good health. Her mother has high blood pressure and recently suffered a mild stroke. Elizabeth—who sometimes has her mother over for meals—has decided to look more closely at the sodium content of the food she prepares for her family.

She is planning to prepare a casserole for her family and looks up the sodium content in milligrams (mg) for the main ingredients: 2 cups roasted chicken (120 mg per cup), 1 can cream of chicken soup (800 mg sodium per ½ cup serving; 2.5 servings per can), 1 cup grated cheese (180 mg per ¼ cup), 2 cups frozen broccoli (40 mg per cup), 1 teaspoon salt (480 mg per ¼ teaspoon), and ¼ teaspoon each curry powder (0 mg) and pepper (0 mg).”

11. “According to the 2015- 2020 Dietary Guidelines, what is the recommendation regarding sodium intake for Elizabeth and her family?”
12. “Assuming her recipe serves four, calculate the milligrams (mg) of sodium in one serving of Elizabeth’s casserole.”
13. “How does this meal contribute to her family’s daily sodium goal addressed in question #11?
14. “Using the information from the chapter and in the “Table Tips” feature in this chapter, what general changes might Elizabeth make to decrease the amount of sodium in this recipe?”
15. “Assume that Elizabeth has found a lower-sodium soup for her recipe (528 milligrams sodium per serving; 2 servings per can). Using this product and other changes you suggested in question #14, revise her original recipe and recalculate the sodium content of one serving."
16. “Using information from this chapter, what other nutrition strategies might help Elizabeth plan meals for her family that could help lower blood pressure?”

“Trace Mineral Deficiencies

Belinda is a 10-year-old elementary school student who has come in for a physical examination. She is 4 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. Her doctor calculates her BMI at 27.9 (98th% for her age). Concerned about her obesity, Belinda’s doctor asks about her diet and her physical activity. Her mother reports that Belinda has become “lazy” and does not like to play outside with her friends after school. She says she is more irritable than usual and complains about helping with household chores. Her mother worries that she may be depressed, although she can think of no family issues that may be responsible for this behavior. Belinda sometimes skips breakfast or has cereal and toast in the morning; she takes chips, a juice drink, and a cheese sandwich made with white bread for lunch; and has a toaster pastry or cookies with milk for a snack after school. She doesn’t particularly like meat and frequently asks for buttered pasta with cheese for dinner. Belinda says she eats vegetables “when my mom buys them.” A blood test reveals a normal hemoglobin level, low serum iron, moderately elevated transferrin,, and low transferrin saturation.”

1. “Based on her history, what nutrient deficiencies would you suspect may contribute to Belinda’s symptoms? Explain your answer.”
2. “Based on the information in this chapter, what stage of iron deficiency do the results of her laboratory tests indicate? How would you classify Belinda’s condition? Explain.”
3. “What are some meal planning strategies that Belinda’s mother could follow to improve her intake of iron and zinc?”
4. “What are some meal and snack ideas that could improve Belinda’s intake of essential elements mentioned in this chapter?”
5. “If her doctor prescribes an iron supplement, what practical advice would you give Belinda about when and how to take it?”
6. “What cautions would you give Belinda’s mother regarding excessive supplementation of iron?"

Answer 1

Answer: The normal calcium content of blood in adult is 8.5 to 10.3 mg/dL.

The types of calcium make up the total calcium level includes calcium bound minerals known as anions, ionized calcium.

Protein is the macronutrient that plays a role in whether or not calcium is considered to be in an active state in the body.

The major plasma protein involved is the albumin which is predominantly contains near about 80% of the protein bound fraction.