Biology and Nutrition Assignment: Weight Loss, Athletes, and Subsidies

This assignment explores various aspects of biology and nutrition. The first question presents a sample exercise and menu plan for weight loss in a 40-year-old woman, incorporating small, frequent meals, lean proteins, soluble fiber, and antioxidants. The second question analyzes the adverse effects of fast food consumption on athletes, emphasizing the importance of carbohydrate loading and appropriate dietary choices for optimal performance. The third question discusses creatine as an ergogenic aid, detailing its benefits in ATP regeneration and potential side effects. The fourth question examines the impact of agricultural subsidies, particularly corn subsidies, on nutrition, dietary trends, and the potential link to obesity in the US. The assignment provides detailed explanations, recommendations, and relevant references to support the arguments.

Running head: BIOLOGY AND NUTRITION
BIOLOGY AND NUTRITION
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Question 1
The following table (Table 1) highlights the sample exercise plan and menu plan for
weight loss in a 40 year old woman. Small, frequent meals have been incorporated to ensure
satiety and regulation of Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) for improved metabolism and weight loss
in the client. Low fat sources of dairy and lean meats like yogurt, chicken, fish and eggs have
been added to prevent excessive saturated fat intake. Soluble fiber sources like oats and apples
have been added to improve fat excretion, satiety and weight loss. Sources of antioxidants like
fruits, vegetables and nuts have been incorporated to combat oxidative stress and inflammation
due to excessive adiposity (DeSalvo, Olson and Casavale 2016).
Table 1 (As designed by the Author): Sample 1 Day Exercise and Menu Plan for
weight loss
Meal Timings Menu
Early Morning: 7:00 AM Half an apple sliced into 4 to 5 pieces/ 2 whole
wheat crackers with 1 teaspoon of Peanut
Butter
Breakfast: 9:00 AM 1 bowl of oats porridge with strawberries.
Mid-morning/Brunch: 11:00 AM Watermelon, toasted almond and feta salad.
Afternoon: 1:30 PM Brown rice, spinach and roasted chicken rice
bowl
Early Evening: 3:30 PM Blueberry, walnut and toasted oat yogurt bowl
Late Evening: 5:30 PM Boiled egg, lettuce and potato salad
Dinner: 7:30 PM Baked lemon fish, sautéed greens and whole
wheat herb and garlic bread
Exercise Recommendations as per CDC: Moderate physical activity and stretching like brisk
walking and walking, for 60 to 90 minutes, daily (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2019).
According to the CDC, realistic weight loss in the concerned client can be achieved by
losing 1 to 2 pounds every week. Modest amounts of weight loss, at the rate of 5 to 10% over the

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next 3 to 6 months would be realistic for the client (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2019). In case of a male client, the time frame and rate of weight loss would have been different,
since males have higher BMR and hence higher rates of fat loss. Males have a higher BMR than
females due to their higher muscle mass and surface area hence resulting in enhanced rates of fat
and weight loss if the concerned client was a man (He et al. 2018).
Question 2
From the given example, it can be observed that Max’ soccer team engages in excessive
consumption of fast food items such as fries, burgers and soda, just half an hour prior to the
soccer event being held out of town. Considering that athletes engaging in high intensity sports
like soccer require extensive amounts of calories reserves and carbohydrates to maintain
optimum performance for prolonged time periods, consumption of food may seem to be
plausible. However, athletes’ consumption of fast food prior to any sporting event may result in
adverse effects on health as well as overall athletic performance.
It is worthwhile to note that fast foods such as the burgers, fries and soda are highly
processed and rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber as well as fat. Complex carbohydrates such
as wheat flour, seeds and potatoes - which are essential ingredients incorporated in burgers as
well as fries – contain significant amounts of fiber. In addition to the above, such foods are
prepared using methods of deep frying and also contain ingredients with significant fat content
such as processed cheese (Meng et al. 2018). Such high fat and high complex carbohydrate food
ingredients and methods of cooking hinder the digestibility of the overall meal. This implies that
the above food components require prolonged time to pass throughout the gastrointestinal tract
for complete digestion and metabolism for its components to be transported and absorbed by the

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body’s cells, tissues and organ systems (Williams 2016). Engagement in high intensity sport
activities like soccer will require increased muscle activity and blood circulation across the
muscular tissues for athletes to sustain their performance throughout the entire game. Consuming
such foods by the athletes, just prior to the gaming event will hence, exert pressures on the
digestive tract, hinder circulation to the digestive tract due to increased exertion on muscles
while engaging in the sport and hence, result in gastrointestinal discomfort, bloating and
indigestion across the athletes which will further hamper their performance at the event (Oh et al.
2018). Similar effects of gastrointestinal disturbances can also occur in case of consumption of
soda based beverages such as soft drinks, which is observed to be consumed by the athletes an
hour before the game. Sodas and soft drinks are highly concentrated in sugar content which also
requires increased exertion by the gastrointestinal tract and hence, the resultant delay in
absorption of fluids, metabolism, transit time and gastric empting (Boulos and Davee 2017).
Further, it must be noted that sodas and soft drinks are completely devoid of essential
electrolytes – micronutrients required by the soccer athletes to enable their muscle contraction
and activity. Additionally, while the high caffeine and fructose content may serve as stimulants
and instant sources of energy for enhancing athletic performance, high concentrations of these
components can instill gastrointestinal discomfort, possibilities of diarrhea and excessive loss of
fluid (Williams 2015).
Additionally, it must be noted that athletes engaged in vigorous sports like soccer, need to
rely on their stores of muscle glycogen and quick circulatory availability of the glucose and its
metabolism to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – the key source of energy in the body.
Carbohydrates especially simple, easily digestible sources, due to easy digestibility induce faster
availability of circulatory glucose and ATP in athletes (Maffetone and Laursen 2016). Foods

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like fries and burgers are not just rich in complex carbohydrates but are also rich in fat – which,
despite being richer sources of calories than simple carbohydrates, do not produce ATP at rapid
rates in comparison to the same. Hence, consuming such foods by the soccer athletes will hinder
the availability of ATP to their muscles and hence, result in increased fatigue and impairments in
performance. Further, lack of energy and ATP from carbohydrates during the event will result in
the body deriving energy from proteins resulting in catabolism and loss of muscle (Burke et al.
2017).
To combat these adverse effects during the next match, there is a need for the athletes to
engage in practices of carbohydrate loading. This will involve increasing their carbohydrate
content over the week and gradually tapering their exercise schedule to increase stores of
glycogen. Hence, over the following weeks, and especially two to three days before the event, it
is recommended that athletes increase their carbohydrate content to 8 to 12 grams per kilograms
of body weight for each athlete followed by reducing exercise durations by almost 20 to 30
minutes every day with an absence of exercise prior to the event. To avoid gastric discomfort,
dehydration and electrolyte supply, it is recommended that the athletes derive their energy from
simple carbohydrates and soluble fiber such as bagel, fruit juices, syrups, sports drinks and
bananas (Michalczyk et al. 2019).
Question 3
Introduction: A common ergogenic aid used among athletes and will be covered in the
following sections is creatine. Creatine is known prevalently as an amino acid and its
characteristic function is associated with the regeneration of ATP in the muscles required as a
source of energy during contraction. Hence, orally consuming this ergogenic aid has been known

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to replenish ATP storage in muscles and hence, provide adequate bouts of energy during the
performance of strenuous activities or sporting events of the high intensity, endurance type
(Eckerson 2016). Despite its benefits, the usage of creatine has also been associated with several
adverse side effects which will also be addressed in the following interviews.
Ergogenic Action: During the performance of short bouts of exercise comprising of the
high intensity type, adenosine diphosphate (ADP) undergoes regeneration to ATP with the help
of stores of phosphoreatinine prevalent in the skeletal muscles. When these stores undergo
reduction with due to prolonged engagement in such sports, stores of phosphocreatine undergo
depletion resulting in reduce ATP production from ADP and hence decreased performance
among athletes (Dorrell, Gee and Middleton 2016). To combat the same and prevent depletion,
oral consumption of ergogenic aids like creatine prove to beneficial. Adequate stores of creatine
have also been known to induce a buffering effect on the excessive accumulation of lactic acid in
muscles hence resulting in reduced symptoms of fatigue and muscle soreness among athletes
(Fraczek et al. 2016).
Side Effects: There continues to remain a dearth of high quality, scientific and
conclusive opinion on the true benefits of creatine regarding athletic performance. Further, the
prevalence of high levels of motivation among athletes due to their perceptions of the probable
benefits of ergogenic aids, can enhance performance due to consumption hence, rendering the
possibility that athletic improvement due to oral creatine intake can be due to a placebo effect
(Rawson, Dolan and Bryan Saunders 2019). Additionally, creatine consumption has also been
associated with symptoms like hypertension, hyperglycemia, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal
cramps, water retention and acquisition of renal diseases like kidney stone formation. Further,

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combine usage of creatine along with stimulants like caffeine may also be associated with
increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (Butts, Jacobs and Silvis 2018).
Conclusion: To conclusion, despite the possible benefits there remains controversies
regarding usage of creatine as an ergogenic aid. Athletes must hence consult their fitness trainers
and health professionals like sports nutritionists prior to its consumption to ensure mitigation of
side effects.
Question 4
The provision of agricultural subsidies implies the availability of financial benefits and
incentives to farmers and agriculturalists to ensure that such groups posses adequate monetary
resources to produce essential groups, prevent shortages and ensure stability of demand, supply
and cost of agricultural produce. The federal government in the United States ensure provision of
agricultural subsidies to farmers through partial coverage and payment of their premiums. Corn
subsidies are widely distributed by the federal government to ensure that cultivation of corn does
not encounter shortages (Babcock 2015). While such federal benefits are beneficial for farmers,
corn subsidies however, may be responsible for influencing nutrition, dietary trends and food
choices, as well as perhaps, obesity in the US. Corn subsidies allow farmers to harvest surplus of
corn and hence, surplus of food products manufactured with corn as the primary ingredient, such
as high fructose corn syrup and breakfast cereals like corn flakes (Browne et al. 2016). This
ensures high availability of foods containing such ingredients and hence, easy availability, high
purchase and intake among consumers. Sugary breakfast cereals like corn flakes and foods
containing high fructose corn syrup are rich in sugar and hence, excessive consumption increases
risk of obesity and metabolic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and

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cardiovascular disorders. Hence, provision of corn subsidies, indirectly increase availability and
intake of processed and sugary corn containing food products among consumers, and hence,
increased risk of chronic, metabolic disease acquisition in the US (Alston and Okrent 2017).

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References
Alston, J.M. and Okrent, A.M., 2017. US Farm Subsidies and Obesity. In The Effects of Farm
and Food Policy on Obesity in the United States (pp. 159-201). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Babcock, B.A., 2015. Cheap food and farm subsidies: Policy impacts of a mythical
connection. Iowa Ag Review, 12(2), p.1.
Boulos, R. and Davee, A.M., 2017. Nutritional Considerations for Young Athletes. In Nutrition
in Lifestyle Medicine (pp. 267-280). Humana Press, Cham.
Browne, M.N., Bouzat, F., Rex, J. and Seipel, J., 2016. The Unfortunate Role of Farm Subsidies
as a Stimulus for Inequality and Obesity. Asia Pacific J. Health L. & Ethics, 10, p.105.
Burke, L.M., Ross, M.L., Garvican‐Lewis, L.A., Welvaert, M., Heikura, I.A., Forbes, S.G.,
Mirtschin, J.G., Cato, L.E., Strobel, N., Sharma, A.P. and Hawley, J.A., 2017. Low
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Butts, J., Jacobs, B. and Silvis, M., 2018. Creatine use in sports. Sports health, 10(1), pp.31-34.
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