Learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• list the six key nutrient groups and explain their role in a healthy diet

• understand and calculate body mass index (BMI), and use such calculations to predict desirable weight ranges for individuals

• explain the importance of a balanced diet in terms of energy intake

• explain how genetic and environmental variables may interact to produce variability in human body weight and adiposity both within and across generations

• apply an understanding of gene–environment interactions to possible explanations of variability in body weight and adiposity.