NUTRITION 121 HUMAN NUTRITION

LABORATORY BACKGROUND AND METHODS MODULE #1

BODY COMPOSITION

Late Labs: 10 point deduction!
A report submitted >1 week late, will receive 0 points for the lab!!

Written and edited by:
Karon Felten and Nutrition 121 TA’s

With Special Thanks to:
Chris Pritsos Ph.D.
Nutrition Department Chairman

ABSTRACT:

In nutrition, there are many factors that influence an individual’s health and body weight, such as heredity, food selection, eating behaviors, and physical activity. Scale weight is not always a good indicator of body fat, lean mass, body water or overall health (1). This laboratory experience will give students the opportunity to conduct physical assessments by evaluating body weight and body composition. To determine body weight and body composition, techniques such as bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, wrist circumference for determining frame size, and a scale will be utilized. Students will also evaluate their own risk for cardiovascular disease and assess cardiovascular health in volunteers by measuring heart rate, filling out a heart disease risk score form, and estimating oxygen consumption and energy expenditure through a technique known as the Queens College Three-Minute Step Test.

BACKGROUND:

Your body is made up of the six essential nutrients: water, fat, protein, carbohydrates and various vitamins and minerals. Many factors can influence an individual’s health and body weight: heredity, eating behaviors, food selection, and amount of daily exercise. As mentioned previously, weight is not a good indicator of bodily health and balance. For any individual of a given height, there is no single best weight, but a range of healthy weights best determined by one’s body composition. For directly assessing an individual’s body composition, it is common for bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) to be performed. Additionally, wrist circumference to determine frame size and calculating one’s body mass index (BMI) are two commonly used methods for indirectly assessing body composition. Combinations of these direct and indirect techniques can lead to an overall understanding of body composition allowing for prescriptions of exercise and nutrition to be levied for any desired positive and healthy changes. It is typically most useful to consider the body’s composition in its simplest terms of fat mass, lean mass, and water mass. This concept can be taken down further by estimating percentages of fat, body cell mass (BCM), and extracellular mass (ECM), total body water (TBW), intracellular water (ICW), and extracellular water (ECW) (1). These are much better indicators of health than just an individual’s weight. Fat can be defined as the energy storage of the body with a total density of 0.9g/ml and can be equal to a person’s actual weight minus the fat free mass (FFM) of that individual (1). Body cell mass (BCM) is the portion of the body where the work is done, including oxygen consumption to form carbon dioxide, energy production and consumption, protein synthesis and all other metabolic processes (1, 2). In healthy individuals, muscle tissue comprises approximately 60% of the BCM, organ tissue ~20%, and the remaining 20% is red blood cells and other tissues (2). The BCM contains about 98-99% of the body’s potassium, a key mineral that is essential in maintaining the body’s water balance (2, 3). Next, the extracellular mass (ECM) consists of the support structures of the body (bone and cartilage) and is also involved in the transportation of nutrients, waste and fluids (1). When an individual is concerned with lean body mass, one can simply refer to it as the addition of the BCM and ECM. Total body water (TBW) is the total percentage or amount of water mass in body composition and is a combination of intracellular and extracellular water. The TBW and FFM are typically used to calculate the amount of fat in the body. Intracellular water (ICW) is all the water maintained inside of every cell within the body and holds most of the body’s potassium (3). Extracellular water (ECW) usually has less solutes than ICW and the ratio of ICW to ECW is important in weight maintenance, proper health, and many diseases such as diabetes (4). Too much extracellular water can lead to hypertension or edema.

In BIA, sending a mild electrical direct current through the body can correlate body changes in resistance and capacitive reactance (5). The amount of resistance is indicative of the amount of water and conducting electrolytes of minerals in the body (5). The human body is essentially a large circuit of resistors and capacitors. A resistor is any substance that obstructs the flow of electrical current and can be considered the inverse of conduction (6). The better the conduction, the better electricity flows though something. Think of a power line made of metal wires, metals are good conductors. A capacitor consists of two or more conducting plates separated by an insulating, non-conductive material called a dielectric. Capacitance is analogous to the intracellular volume and resistance is the extracellular volume (6). These measurements allow for a whole multitude of mathematical calculations to be performed which provide all the values for the BIA.
The water and electrolyte content of fat-free tissue permits greater conduction of an applied electrical signal over those of lipids and fat. Thus, by placing electrodes dermally on the ankle and wrist and applying an electrical signal, one can determine various parameters of total body composition by applying Ohm's law. Electrical impedance measurements are used to determine total body water and subsequently to estimate fat-free mass and the percentage of body fat (5, 6, 9). Your lab instructor will run the analysis and provide you with the appropriate results.

Next, the indirect measurement of Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated using a formula to assess your body weight relative to your height. It is a useful indirect measurement of body composition because of its strong correlation of body fat in most individuals; however, it is not a diagnostic tool. It is generally used as a general assessment tool among the overall population and does have its limitations, such as when assessing elite athletes or very short people.

BMI = [Wt (lbs.) / Ht (in)²] x 703 * BMI values less than 18.5 are considered underweight. * BMI values from 18.5 to 24.9 are healthy. * Overweight is defined as a body mass index of 25.0 and over (7).
Waist circumference is the distance around your waistline just above your navel. There has been a strong correlation of your relative risk for disease and the distance around your waist. There has been considerable scientific evidence that the amount of fat accumulation around the waist and hips is more dangerous than fat accumulation elsewhere in the body. If one tends to gain weight in the mid section or waist area of the body they are typically at higher risk for health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. If an individual has a BMI greater than or equal to 25, the goal for waist circumference is less than 40 inches for a male and less than 35 inches for women (8). Waist Circumference and BMI together can be a strong assessment for an individual’s risk for heart disease if both BMI and weight circumference are elevated. Additionally, when taking into account BMI, one should also consider the individuals frame size. Small, medium and large frames sizes will allow for different weight ranges and BMI ranges. A larger frame size means a large skeletal structure in relation to the individual’s height and therefore the individual has a larger frame allowing for more weight and size. Additionally, bone density and tissue is heavy which is associated with an increased weight of a large frame individual (7).
A healthy body weight is associated with lower risk for a number of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer of the breast, prostate, and colon, diabetes, and surgical risk. Any of these conditions/diseases will contribute to higher morbidity and higher rates of mortality. Hence, maintaining a healthy body weight is important.

The American Council on Exercise has associated categories with ranges of body fat. Women generally have less muscle mass than men and therefore they have a higher body fat percentage range for each category. (7).

Coronary heart disease is the number one cause of death in American adults (8). Coronary heart disease is a multi-factorial disease. This means there is no one single cause, but a number of factors that can contribute to the disease. Some of these factors are unalterable such as age, gender, and genetic predisposition. However, a number of factors can be altered and improved such as body weight, diet, exercise, stress, and smoking habits. The better your profile of risk factors, the lower your risk for coronary heart disease.

Nutrition supplies the energy needed to exercise. In its simplest form, exercise is just work (work = force x distance) (9). Therefore, when a weight is lifted, whether it is a dumbbell or the body during a sit up, a force is being exerted over a certain amount of distance, i.e. work. Work is measured in units of kilograms/meter. The nutrients used to fuel exercise (work) are dietary carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. These compounds are ingested and broken down into usable components that provide energy for the body. Nutrient energy is measured in units of calories or kilocalories (kcal). These concepts are key to the Queen’s College Three-Minute Step test (10).

The body has an increased need for oxygen during exertion. As the need for oxygen increases, the heart rate and respiration rate both increase. This increased cardiovascular or cardio respiratory need can be evaluated by several methods. For this lab, the Queens College 3-minute step test will be used. Most clinical tests for oxygen consumption measure VO2 ml/min or VO2Max (oxygen consumption) by spirometry. VO2max is an expression of an athlete’s capacity to consume and utilize oxygen. To be competitive, elite endurance athletes must have high VO2max levels. VO2max is influenced by mode of exercise, heredity, state and type of training, body size and body composition, age, and gender. However, a reasonable estimation of oxygen consumption, hence energy needs, can be obtained from the heart rate. Since the relationship between oxygen consumption and heart rate is approximately linear, oxygen consumption from the heart rate is a fair measure of fitness. Aerobic work capacity and fitness is commonly expressed in MET's (Maximum Exercise Test or MET = oxygen uptake of 3.5 ml oxygen per kg per min) (9, 10).

References: 1. “Why is Body Composition Important?” RJL Systems Inc. http://www.rjlsystems.com/docs/bia_info/bc-importance/whyisimport.pdf 2. “Definition of body cell mass.” MedicineNet.com. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=33228 3. Chaplin, M. Water Structure and Behavior. http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/cell.html 4. Verbalis, J.G. Disorders of body water homeostasis. Best Pract & Research Clin Endo and Met. Vol. 17, No. 4, p 471-503. 2003. 5. “Principles of bioelectric impedance analysis.” RJL Systems, Inc. http://www.rjlsystems.com/docs/bia_info/principles/ 6. Liedtke, R.J. Fundamentals of bioelectric impedance analysis. Cyprus Body Composition Manual. RJL Systems, Inc. http://www.rjlsystems.com 7. http://www.acefitness.org/blog/112/what-are-the-guidelines-for-percentage-of-body-fat/ 8. http://www.americanheart.org 9. Alcock, NW. (1999). Nutrition and the chemical senses. In M.E. Shils, J.A. Olson, M. Shike, & A.C. Ross (Eds.), Modern nutrition in health and disease. Maryland: Williams & Wilkins. 10. Hales, D. (1994). An Invitation to Health. Redwood City, CA: The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company Inc.

METHODS:

Part 1: 1) Complete the heart risk score form (page 11, can be completed outside of lab). It must be included in its entirety in the results section of your report.

2) Each student will record the following measurements: a) height b) weight c) wrist circumference d) waist circumference (measure just above the navel) | Male r values | Female r-values | Small | > 10.4 | > 11 | Medium | 9.6 - 10.4 | 10.1 - 11 | Large | < 9.6 | < 10.1 | e) blood pressure f) pulse rate g) BMI h) desirable weight range i) frame size (r value)
Note: Record height, waist and wrist measurements in both inches and centimeters

Part 2:
Two volunteers from each lab group will have their healthy weight estimated. This will include determining their weight and percent body fat.

1. Record each volunteer’s weight, height, age, exercise level, blood pressure, and wrist and waist circumferences. 2. Determine percent body fat using the BIA method.

Part 3: 1. Record volunteers’ pulse rate (this was determined in part 1). 2. Volunteers will perform a step test using a 16" step. Each step cycle will be performed using a four-step cadence, i.e. up-up-down-down stepping continuously for 3 minutes. a. Women: 22 step cycles per minute b. Men: 24 step cycles per minute. 3. The pulse rate should be taken within 5 seconds after the completion of the steps. Measure the carotid pulse rate for 15 seconds. To determine step pulse rate, multiply this number by 4.
Part 1 Individual Measurements | Height: | | Weight: | | Wrist Circumference: | | Waist Circumference: | | Blood Pressure: | | Pulse Rate: | | BMI*: | | Desirable Weight Range*: | | Frame Size*: | | Heart Disease Risk Score: | |

Wrist circumference should be taken between the hand and the pisiform bone of the wrist.
Blood pressure is measured as a fraction: systolic/diastolic (ex. 180/100)
Waist circumference should be taken 3 fingers above the belly button or the smallest part of the waist.
*Show all work for calculated measurements!*

Part 2 Data for Volunteers | Volunteer Name | | | Gender | | | Age (years) | | | Weight (pounds) | | | Height (in & cm) | | | Waist Circumference (in & cm) | | | Wrist Circumference (in & cm) | | | Calculated Data* | Desirable Weight Range | | | Frame Size (r value) | | | BMI | | | Bioelectrical Impedance Measurements | | Actual Body Composition Profile – Weight | Body Fat % | | | Body Cell Mass % | | | Extracellular Mass % | | | Fat Free Mass % | | | | Normal Body Composition Profile – Weight | Body Fat % | | | Body Cell Mass % | | | Extracellular Mass % | | | Fat Free Mass % | | | | Actual Body Composition Profile – Water | Total Body Water % | | | Intracellular Water % | | | Extracellular Water % | | | | Normal Body Composition Profile – Water | Total Body Water % | | | Intracellular Water % | | | Extracellular Water % | | | | Software Calculated Ideal Weight | | | Software Calculated BMI | | | Software Calculated BMR | | |
*Show all math work!*
Part 3 Queens College 3-Minute Step Test | Volunteer Name | | | Pulse Rate (before test) | | | Carotid Pulse Rate (after test) | | | Step Pulse Rate (Carotid Pulse Rate x 4) | | | VO2 Max | 1. VO2 Max | | | Energy Cost and Kilocalories (kcal) Burned | 2. Energy (E) | | | 3. Kcal Burned | | | Time to Burn One Pound of Fat | 4. Time | | |

For the report in the results section, a graph must be made utilizing Microsoft Excel. The graph will compare the actual percentages to the normal percentages for both volunteers for total body water %, and body fat %. See the graph below for label details.

Example of bar-graph needed in the result section

↑ This is only an example, create your own graph with your volunteer’s information!!

CALCULATIONS FOR THE QUEENS COLLEGE STEP TEST:
*Show all your work*

1. Compute the VO2 max (oxygen uptake) using the following equations. Record results in appropriate table. Male: VO2 max = 111.33 - (0.42 x step pulse rate) Female: VO2 max = 65.81 - (0.1847 x step pulse rate)

2. Calculate the energy (E) cost in METs (Maximum Exercise Test) using the following equation: Record results appropriately. E = VO2 max / 3.5

3. If 1 Met = 1.25 kilocalories (kcals), calculate and record the number of kcals burned.

4. If 1 pound of body fat (adipose tissue) equals 3500 kcals, how long do the volunteers have to maintain their level of energy exertion in the step test to burn 1 pound of body fat? Calculate and record in the appropriate table.

Sample equation:
A male student completes the step test and counts his step pulse rate as 116 beats per minute.
VO2 max = 111.33- (.42 x 116) = 62.61
E= 62.61/3.5 = 17.86 MET
17.86 MET x 1.25 kcal = 22.33 kcal burned
3500kcal/ 22.33 kcal = 156.74 minutes / 60minutes per hour = 2.6 hours

It takes this male student 2.6 hours to burn 1 pound of fat if he continues the same intensity of the step test.

HEART DISEASE RISK SCORE FORM – TURN IN WITH YOUR REPORT! | Points | Your Points | AGE | 56 or over 55 or under | 10 | | GENDER | malefemale | 10 | | FAMILY HISTORY | If you have blood relatives who have had a:Heart attack or stroke before age 60History of heart disease at or before age 60Heart attack or stroke after age 60None of the above | 121060 | | PERSONAL HISTORY | If you are:50 or under and have had a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular surgery51 or over and any of the aboveNone of the above | 20100 | | DIABETES | If onset of diabetes appeared:Before age 40 and you take insulinAt or after 40 and you take insulin or pillsAfter age 55 and you control it with dietNo diabetes | 10530 | | SMOKING | 2 packs/day1-2 packs/day or quit within the past year6 or more cigars/day or use a pipe regularlyLess than one pack/day or quit over a year agoNever smoked | 106630 | | DIET | If you normally eat:Red meat daily, >7 eggs/week and butter, whole milk and cheese dailyRed meat 4-6 times/week, some margarine, lowfat milk and milk products, some cheesePoultry, fish, little or no red meat; 3 or fewer eggs weekly, some margarine, nonfat milk and milk products | 840 | | BLOOD PRESSURE | 160/100 or higher130/80 or higher<130/80 | 1050 | | BMI | Using the following formula calculate your body mass index: BMI= [weight (kg)/ height (m)]2BMI (Imperial) = [weight (lbs)/ {height (in)}2] x703BMI Score: ≥30kg/m2 (Obese category)25-29.9kg/m2 (Overweight) or <18.5kg/m2 (Underweight)18.5-24.9kg/m2 (Healthy Category) | 420 | | WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE | In lab, you will measure your waist according to your TA’s instructions:Males >40in Females >35in Males ≤40inFemales ≤35in | 20 | | EXERCISE | If you engage in aerobic exercise longer than 20 minutes< once a week1 – 2 times/week3 or more times/week | 420 | | STRESS | When waiting, if you are:frustrated and easily angeredimpatient and occasionally moodycomfortable and easy-going | 420 | | Total Points | | |
Circle your risk for heart disease below:
High risk……………………………36 Medium risk………………………..19 – 35
Low risk…………………………….18

INTRODUCTION QUESTIONS 1) Discuss American diets and the prevalence of obesity (and overweight) in the U.S. a. Problems associated with obesity and overweight. 2) What is the definition of BMI and how is this calculation meant to be used? b. How do most people inevitably use it? 3) What is the definition of BIA and how is this calculation used? 4) State the objective (what we want to see or to reconfirm based on previous studies) and hypothesis (what you think you will see, or possible observations/outcomes/correlations) of this lab 1 experiment.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

NOTE: Do not copy and paste discussion questions in Discussion Section. Write only answers for discussion questions in an ESSAY/PARAGRAPH form.
Bulleted responses (1, 2, 3,… and A, B, C,…) will be penalized.

1. For each of the measurements taken today, discuss your body composition and health. What is normal or healthy for you? Are you at risk of any health problems? a. Include your weight / frame size / BMI b. Waist circumference: - What do the “apple” and “pear” shapes indicate? - Why is this an important indicator? c. Blood Pressure: - Are you normal? - What are the value ranges and definitions of hypotension and hypertension? - What are the risks of hyper and hypotension?
2. Using the heart risk score form, discuss your own risk for heart disease. a. In which category do you fall? - If you are healthy, describe how you are avoiding cardiovascular disease. - If not, discuss any family history of heart attacks, aneurisms, stokes, clots, etc. b. What risk factors are out of your control? c. What changes can you make to decrease your risk? d. How does exercise affect your risk? - Talk about elasticity, vessel hardening, how hard the heart has to work, energy and oxygen efficiency, etc. e. Does being skinny and thin mean you are healthy? Does having a low BMI mean the same thing?
3. Analyze the health of your volunteers by analyzing the actual to normal ranges of BIA. a. Discuss differences between males and females and reasons for these differences. b. Body fat, fat free mass, body cell mass, total body water, intracellular water and extracellular water: - What are the implications for the values that are out of normal range? - What factors would influence the BIA result accuracy? 4. The Queen’s test calculations describe how efficiently oxygen is used and therefore how quickly the volunteers burn energy. a. What relationship did you see between a volunteer’s fitness, BIA results and the values calculated for the Queen’s step test?

[NOTE] Label/Save your lab 1 report as one Word document, in the following format: Your Name_Lab1_Section#group e.g., Karon Felten_Lab1_009B PLEASE REMEMBER: All reports are submitted through Direct Submit, our plagiarism checker. Direct Submit compares the submitted material to other reports (past and present) as well as all the content on the internet. In cases of plagiarism, disciplinary action will be taken in accordance with the plagiarism contract signed during orientation. DON’T FORGET YOUR CALCULATION QUESTIONS!! These are found on page 9 of the lab report template.

CHECKLIST FOR LAB REPORTS Double check that the following are included in your lab 1 report, which is one single Word document. Don’t forget to use the lab report template as a guide. 1. Title Page (first page) Title page (first page) Lab Title, “Lab 1 Body Composition”
Your name/section
Name of your TA
Karon Felten 2. Summary Title (second page) -Should be your own title (one sentence) which summarizes lab 1 contents 3. Introduction (second page) * Provide answers for introduction questions * Do not copy and paste introduction questions; only answers are needed. * Write in an essay form and in your words (do not copy and paste “background” from lab 1 module!) * Include a hypothesis in a bold font (or highlighted) * No bullets or numbering (e.g., 1, 2, 3,… and A, B, C,…) 4. Methods * Write in an essay form and in your words (do not copy and paste “methods” from the lab instructions) 5. Results * Include part 1 (Volunteer BIA), part 2 (Volunteer Queen’s Step Test), part 3 (Student Measurements), all math work for calculated values and an 8 bar-graph 6. Discussion * Provide answers for discussion questions * Do not copy and paste discussion questions; only answers are needed. * Write in an essay form and in your words
- No bullets or numbering (e.g., 1, 2, 3,… and A, B, C,…) 7. Calculation Questions 1-5 * Show all math work * Show all work and answers. Numerical answers should be expressed to two decimal places (e.g., 0.01) to get full credit. 8. References * Review how to cite (Lab manual) * List references numerically * Cite properly to avoid plagiarism

GRADING GUIDELINES FOR LABORATORY REPORT #1

| Does Not Meet Expectations | Meets Expectations | Exceeds Expectations | Number of points possible | General formatting: | Does not meet any formatting criteria | Partially meets criteria for Exceeds Expectations, but missing multiple elements | Double Spacing, 1” Margins, 11pt Times New Roman Font, headings clearly labeled, Title Page, Unique Title and subtitle Included, Hypothesis bolded, File labeled correctly, page number and footer (last name included), correct citations, introduction and discussion questions deleted. | A | | 0-1 | 2-3 | 4-5 | 5 | Introduction: | No hypothesis, introduction questions not answered. | Hypothesis doesn’t relate to lab, incomplete or incorrect answers, basic answers lacking detail. | Reasonable Hypothesis, Introductory background complete and correct, thoughtful answers used. | B | | 0-2 | 3-6 | 6-10 | 10 | Methods | No methods included | Incomplete or incorrect methods | Methods are detailed, correct and complete | C | | 0-1 | 2-3 | 4-5 | 5 | Results | No tables, graphs or charts included, no calculations shown | Incomplete tables, incorrect labels or calculations | Results tables completed (including VO2 max, E, kcals, and time to burn 1lb of fat calculations),Calculations shown, Graph/Chart: X and Y axis clearly labeled, Descriptive Legend. | D | | 0-2 | 3-5 | 6-10 | 10 | Discussion: | No answers to discussion questions, or not all questions answered | Incomplete answers, no critical thought used, basic or incorrect answers, not all questions answered completely | Questions answered completely and correctly, Critical thought used | E | | 0-5 | 6-14 | 15-20 | 20 | Calculations: | No work shown, no answers completed | Incorrect math, work not shown, incorrect answers on some questions | Question 1: 1ptQuestion 2: 4ptsQuestion 3: 1ptQuestion 4: 2ptsAll work shown, correct answers, Show all work and answers. Numerical answers expressed to two decimal places (e.g., 0.01). | F | | 0-1 | 2-5 | 6-10 | 10 | Total Points: | | | | 60(G) |

NOTE: Grades and comments will be posted in WebCampus (under “Assignment” or “My Grade”).

e.g., A+B+C+D+E+F= Total: G (out of 60 points)

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[ 2 ]. Desirable Weight Range: female = 100 + 5 × (height in inches – 60) ± 0.10 × [100 + 5 × (height in inches – 60)] male = 106 + 6 × (height in inches – 60) ± 0.10 × [106 + 6 × (height in inches – 60)]

Frame Size Determination: Height-wrist Circumference Ratio (r value)