XNB345 Advanced Nutrition Metabolism

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

Global population changes have seen continued increases in the prevalence of chronic disease and ageing, with individuals living longer in the presence of disease. Nutritional requirements change over the life-course, while dietary intake and nutritional status often play a major role in both the aetiology and management of chronic diseases and health conditions. Therefore, there is a need for future nutritional professionals to have a good understanding of physiology and complex metabolic pathways, and how they alter across the life course and in the presence of disease. This unit provides students with knowledge around advanced physiology and nutritional metabolism, enabling the application of foundational knowledge developed in earlier units in more complex health issues and contexts. Students will also develop an understanding of emerging topics in the field of nutrition and metabolism such as nutrigenomics and the gut microbiome.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Examine changes to the physiology and biochemistry of major body systems influenced by nutrition across the life course and in diseased states and explain the impact of changes on indicators used for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease. [XN43, XN45-CLO 1]
2. Appraise the influence of nutrition on the development or exacerbation of disease [XN43, XN45-CLO 2]
3. Describe the effect of predominant pharmacological therapies used in the treatment of diseases [XN43, XN45-CLO 3]
4. Critically evaluate therapeutic claims of common functional foods (e.g. protein enriched, cholesterol lowering, probiotics and prebiotics) and emerging areas in nutrition such as nutrigenomics and gut microbiome. [XN43, XN45-CLO 3]
5. Demonstrate academic and professional core skills relating to communication, ethical practice and critique. [XN43, XN45-CLO 4]

Content

Learning Approaches

The unit will be delivered in a blended modality with online lectures and face to face tutorials. The practical sessions will use simulation to go through a range of unfolding case-studies that will generate discussion and utilise guest practitioners. Formative quizzes will be included during lectures throughout the semester to provide you with feedback on your learning and a variety of resources (e.g. books, videos, journal manuscripts) and activities (e.g. therapeutic foods, body composition) will synthesise learning from theory, to practice and through to product/intervention. The learning approaches used will extend beyond theoretical knowledge and allow you to develop both critical evaluation and practical application skills around nutrition and metabolism.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will be provided formative feedback on your draft literature review early in the semester. Online quizzes will provide an opportunity for you to gauge your understanding of the content. Summative feedback will be provided on Canvas with written and verbal recorded comments.

Assessment

Overview

Assignment information included on Canvas provides detailed criteria and tasks for completion of the assignment which you can check your work against to ensure all aspects are completed. Formative assessment in the form of case studies will identify areas needing improvement prior to the completion of the final assessment.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Literature Review

You will critically appraise the current evidence on an emerging topic in nutrition and dietetics, and evaluate any ethical considerations in their emergence or application. You will submit a matrix table of evidence with bullet points that summarise your key findings for formative feedback early in the semester.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: In class exam

In order to consolidate your learning of the theoretical components you will complete an in-class exam consisting of multiple choice questions.

Assessment: Portfolio

For a range of common disease states you will develop a summary of the metabolic and physiological pathways that contribute to the disease and where adaptations occur due to nutritional intervention. This will include the biochemical indicators for diagnosis and monitoring and the influence of major pharmacological therapies. For each disease state you will develop an analogy that would explain the scientific concepts for a lay person. This will draw together the theoretical components and the unfolding case studies presented in the workshops.

This assessment has two components the written summaries and a 3 minute presentation of the analogy developed for a lay person (as a video or animation). Both components of your portfolio will be submitted together at the same time.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.