WGU C787 NUTRITION AND FOOD SAFETY
FINAL PAPER 140 2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ Positive GMO Traits. Answer: pest-resistance (less need for
insecticides), herb-resistance, delayed ripening (shipped with less
damage), miniature size, improved sweetness, cold-resistance, high
starch (absorbs less oil when fried), polyester gene (better fiber
properties), growth hormone (faster), hepatitis B virus protein
(provides immunity to hepatitis)
◉ GMO Concerns. Answer: accidental ingestion of drugs (crops
making human drugs/protein must be grown separately but are still
near farms); outcrossing (accidental cross-pollination of plant
pesticide crops with wild weeds); loss of species (fewer crop
varieties worldwide)
◉ Visceral Fat. Answer: located deep within central abdomen; raises
risks of chronic diseases
◉ Subcutaneous Fat. Answer: fat stored directly under the skin
◉ Body Mass Index (BMI). Answer: weight in kg (2.2 lb=1 kg) /
height in meters^2
,703*(weight in lbs/height in inches^2)
◉ Underweight. Answer: weighing too little for your height; BMI:
<18.5
◉ Normal Weight. Answer: BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
◉ Overweight. Answer: heavier than the standard weight for your
height; BMI: 25-29.9
◉ Obese. Answer: much heavier than standard weight for your
height, past obese; BMI: >30
◉ Energy Balance. Answer: the relationship between energy intake
and energy expenditure; change in energy stores = energy in -
energy out
impacted by basal metabolism (50-65%), thermic effect of food (5-
10%), and physical activity (25-50%)
◉ Basil Metabolic Rate (BMR). Answer: rate at which body expends
energy to maintain basic physiological functions at rest in a
thermoneutral environment (breathing, circulating blood, cellular
processes); affecting factors: age, height, growth, body composition,
fever, stress, environmental temperature, fasting/starvation,
malnutrition, thyroxine
, kg*24= kcal/day (men)
kg*23= kcal/day (women)
◉ Physical Activity Energy Requirements. Answer: basal energy/day
* activity factor = kcal needed
activity factors: .3 (sedentary), .5 (light), .7 (heavy)
◉ Thermic Effect of Food. Answer: basal energy*0.1 (10%) = kcal
◉ Estimated Energy Requirements (EER). Answer: Basal Energy +
Energy for Physical Activity + Energy for Thermic Effect of Food
range of needs: +/- 200 kcal (men) or +/- 160 kcal (women)
◉ Ghrelin. Answer: "hunger hormone"; secreted by stomach; signals
brain to increase appetite when stomach is empty (before meals)
and decreases after eating
◉ Leptin. Answer: "satiety hormone"; produced by fat (adipose);
signals brain to reduce appetite and increase energy expenditure;
levels increase with higher body fat stores (sense of fullness)
◉ Weight Management Theories. Answer: set-point theory
(metabolism set where weight doesn't fluctuate regardless of eating
habits), thermogenesis (brown adipose tissue, body temperature in
FINAL PAPER 140 2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ Positive GMO Traits. Answer: pest-resistance (less need for
insecticides), herb-resistance, delayed ripening (shipped with less
damage), miniature size, improved sweetness, cold-resistance, high
starch (absorbs less oil when fried), polyester gene (better fiber
properties), growth hormone (faster), hepatitis B virus protein
(provides immunity to hepatitis)
◉ GMO Concerns. Answer: accidental ingestion of drugs (crops
making human drugs/protein must be grown separately but are still
near farms); outcrossing (accidental cross-pollination of plant
pesticide crops with wild weeds); loss of species (fewer crop
varieties worldwide)
◉ Visceral Fat. Answer: located deep within central abdomen; raises
risks of chronic diseases
◉ Subcutaneous Fat. Answer: fat stored directly under the skin
◉ Body Mass Index (BMI). Answer: weight in kg (2.2 lb=1 kg) /
height in meters^2
,703*(weight in lbs/height in inches^2)
◉ Underweight. Answer: weighing too little for your height; BMI:
<18.5
◉ Normal Weight. Answer: BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
◉ Overweight. Answer: heavier than the standard weight for your
height; BMI: 25-29.9
◉ Obese. Answer: much heavier than standard weight for your
height, past obese; BMI: >30
◉ Energy Balance. Answer: the relationship between energy intake
and energy expenditure; change in energy stores = energy in -
energy out
impacted by basal metabolism (50-65%), thermic effect of food (5-
10%), and physical activity (25-50%)
◉ Basil Metabolic Rate (BMR). Answer: rate at which body expends
energy to maintain basic physiological functions at rest in a
thermoneutral environment (breathing, circulating blood, cellular
processes); affecting factors: age, height, growth, body composition,
fever, stress, environmental temperature, fasting/starvation,
malnutrition, thyroxine
, kg*24= kcal/day (men)
kg*23= kcal/day (women)
◉ Physical Activity Energy Requirements. Answer: basal energy/day
* activity factor = kcal needed
activity factors: .3 (sedentary), .5 (light), .7 (heavy)
◉ Thermic Effect of Food. Answer: basal energy*0.1 (10%) = kcal
◉ Estimated Energy Requirements (EER). Answer: Basal Energy +
Energy for Physical Activity + Energy for Thermic Effect of Food
range of needs: +/- 200 kcal (men) or +/- 160 kcal (women)
◉ Ghrelin. Answer: "hunger hormone"; secreted by stomach; signals
brain to increase appetite when stomach is empty (before meals)
and decreases after eating
◉ Leptin. Answer: "satiety hormone"; produced by fat (adipose);
signals brain to reduce appetite and increase energy expenditure;
levels increase with higher body fat stores (sense of fullness)
◉ Weight Management Theories. Answer: set-point theory
(metabolism set where weight doesn't fluctuate regardless of eating
habits), thermogenesis (brown adipose tissue, body temperature in
