PHYSIOLOGY OF NUTRITION Single channel
Chair (Coordinator) and Rapporteur: STEFANO MENINI
Module 1: DIETARY SCIENCES APPLIED TO THE ENERGY NEEDS
- Activity type
- Scienze della dietistica
- SSD
- MED/49
- Year
- 2nd year
- Semester
- 1st semester
- CFU
- 2
- Hours distribution
- 20 classroom hours
- Lecturers
- STEFANO MENINI
Module 2: DIETARY SCIENCES APPLIED TO THE EVALUATION OF THE STATUS OF NUTRITION
- Activity type
- Scienze della dietistica
- SSD
- MED/49
- Year
- 2nd year
- Semester
- 1st semester
- CFU
- 2
- Hours distribution
- 20 classroom hours
- Lecturers
- SILVIA MIGLIACCIO
CLAUDIA PENZAVECCHIA
Module 3: DIETARY SCIENCES APPLIED TO NUTRIENT NEEDS
- Activity type
- Scienze della dietistica
- SSD
- MED/49
- Year
- 2nd year
- Semester
- 1st semester
- CFU
- 2
- Hours distribution
- 20 classroom hours
- Lecturers
- SILVIA MIGLIACCIO
DEBORA D'ASCENZO
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will know and understand the physiological determinants of energy and nutrient requirements, food composition, regulation of food intake, nutritional status assessment, and the main interactions between nutrients and drugs.
Students will be able to estimate energy and nutrient requirements under different physiological conditions, analyze dietary intake, use food composition tables, and apply the main methods for assessing nutritional status.
Students will be able to critically interpret dietary, anthropometric, and nutritional data, evaluating dietary adequacy in relation to individual requirements and nutritional recommendations.
Students will be able to use appropriate scientific terminology to communicate nutritional assessments and collaborate with other healthcare professionals.
Students will have developed the ability to independently update their knowledge through the critical consultation of scientific literature and relevant guidelines.
Prerequisites
To understand the course content, students should have basic knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, food chemistry, and human nutrition, acquired through the first-year courses in the Degree Programme.
Programme
Module 1 – Applied Dietetic Sciences: Energy Requirements (20 hours)
Fundamentals of nutritional physiology, energy metabolism, and regulation of energy homeostasis (4 hours)
- Energy expenditure: basal metabolic rate, thermogenesis, physical activity and methods for estimating energy requirements (5 hours)
- Factors influencing energy requirements: age and sex, body composition and health status, level of physical activity (3 hours)
- Assessment of food intake: dietary assessment methods and analysis of eating habits, food groups, standard portions and food composition tables (4 hours)
- Energy balance and applications to dietary planning in healthy individuals; analysis of case studies and interpretation of collected data (4 hours)
Module 2 – Applied Dietetic Sciences: Nutrient Requirements (20 hours)
- Nutritional requirements and Dietary Reference Values (LARN) (3 hours)
- Macronutrient requirements and their distribution within the diet (4 hours)
- Requirements for vitamins, minerals and water (4 hours)
- Nutrient bioavailability and factors affecting nutrient absorption and utilization (3 hours)
- Nutrition throughout the life cycle: infancy, adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy, lactation and older age (4 hours)
- Main interactions between foods, nutrients and drugs (2 hours)
Module 3 – Applied Dietetic Sciences: Nutritional Status Assessment (20 hours)
- Principles and objectives of nutritional status assessment (2 hours)
- Anthropometric assessment: body weight, height, BMI, circumferences and body composition (5 hours)
- Dietary assessment and interpretation of dietary adequacy (4 hours)
- Biochemical, clinical and functional indicators of nutritional status (3 hours)
- Assessment of energy balance and fluid balance (3 hours)
- Integration of anthropometric, dietary and clinical data for nutritional assessment of healthy individuals (3 hours)
Books
Teaching materials provided by the instructor (slides, handouts) and selected sections from the recommended textbooks indicated during the lectures.
Recommended textbooks:
• Alimentazione e Nutrizione Umana – Il Pensiero Scientifico Ed – 3rd edition
Costantini, Cannella, Tomassi.
• Nutrizione e dietologia. Aspetti clinici dell'alimentazione – Zanichelli – 2nd edition
Gianfranco Liguri, Massimo Stefani.
Bibliography
Module: DIETARY SCIENCES APPLIED TO THE ENERGY NEEDS
N/D
Module: DIETARY SCIENCES APPLIED TO THE EVALUATION OF THE STATUS OF NUTRITION
N/D
Module: DIETARY SCIENCES APPLIED TO NUTRIENT NEEDS
N/D
Lessons mode
Teaching activities are mainly carried out through lectures, structured progressively to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the physiological determinants of energy and nutrient requirements, the mechanisms regulating food intake, and the principles underlying the assessment of nutritional status. Lectures are complemented by interactive activities, such as guided questions, discussions, and case study analyses, which promote active participation and the development of a critical approach to evaluating dietary adequacy, estimating nutritional requirements, and interpreting nutritional status indicators.
Occasionally, elements of the flipped classroom approach are introduced through the provision of preliminary reading materials or additional resources, allowing part of the classroom time to be dedicated to discussion and problem-solving activities. Particular attention is also given to the use of technical and scientific language, encouraging students to re-elaborate and communicate concepts using appropriate terminology, in accordance with the expected learning outcomes.
Frequency
Attendance at teaching activities is compulsory, as established by the Degree Programme Regulations. Regular participation in lectures is strongly recommended, as it supports the acquisition of the knowledge and skills expected from the course, also through discussion activities and the analysis of case studies proposed during the course. To be admitted to the examination, students must attend at least 67% of the course's scheduled teaching activities.
Exam mode
A single written examination covering the three modules (Applied Dietetic Sciences for Energy Requirements, Applied Dietetic Sciences for Nutrient Requirements, and Applied Dietetic Sciences for the Assessment of Nutritional Status).
Objectives: Assessment of theoretical knowledge, analytical and synthesis skills, and the appropriate use of scientific and technical terminology.
Procedure: The examination is conducted in the classroom at the end of the course.
Duration: Approximately 2 hours.
Format: Open-ended questions and multiple-choice questions.
Evaluation: The final grade is expressed on a 30-point scale and is based on the accuracy of the content, the ability to provide reasoned answers, and clarity of exposition.
Example exam questions
Module 1 – Applied Dietetic Sciences for Energy Requirements:
Describe the main components of energy expenditure and the methods used to estimate individual energy requirements.
Module 2 – Applied Dietetic Sciences for Nutrient Requirements:
Explain the requirements for macronutrients and micronutrients, the main factors influencing them, and the role of reference intake values in the assessment of nutritional adequacy.
Module 3 – Applied Dietetic Sciences for Nutritional Status Assessment:
Describe the main tools and indicators used for the assessment of nutritional status and their integration in the interpretation of an individual's nutritional profile.
Arguments
- Fundamentals of nutritional physiology, energy
metabolism, and regulation of energy homeostasis (4 hours) - Energy expenditure: basal metabolic rate,
thermogenesis, physical activity and methods for estimating energy requirements
(5 hours) - Factors influencing energy requirements: age and
sex, body composition and health status, level of physical activity (3 hours) - Assessment of food intake, dietary assessment
methods and analysis of eating habits, food groups, standard portions and food
composition tables (4 hours) - Energy balance and applications to dietary planning
in healthy individuals and analysis of case studies and interpretation of
collected data (4 hours) - Nutritional requirements and Dietary Reference
Values (LARN) (3 hours) - -Macronutrient
requirements and their distribution within the diet (4 hours) - Requirements for vitamins, minerals and water (4 hours)
- Nutrient bioavailability and factors affecting
nutrient absorption and utilization (3 hours) - Nutrition throughout the life cycle: infancy,
adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy, lactation and older age (4 hours) - Main interactions between foods, nutrients and
drugs (2 hours) - Principles and objectives of nutritional status
assessment (2 hours) - Anthropometric assessment: body weight, height,
BMI, circumferences and body composition (5 hours) - Dietary assessment and interpretation of dietary
adequacy (4 hours) - Biochemical, clinical and functional indicators of
nutritional status (3 hours) - Assessment of energy balance and fluid balance (3
hours) - Integration of anthropometric, dietary and clinical
data for nutritional assessment of healthy individuals (3 hours)
Sustainability goals
- Academic year2026/2027
- Degree program to which the course belongsDietistic - ASL Rieti
- Languageita
- CFU6 CFU, distributed among 3 integrated didactic modules
- Total duration60 hours