PHY3202 Nutrition, metabolism and body weight
Faculty of Science
PHY3202 Nutrition, metabolism and body weight is a level 3, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Science, offered in 2023 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2023
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
This is the 2023 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before PHY3202
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After PHY3202
No unit lists PHY3202 as a prerequisite in the 2023 handbook.
Enrolment rules
PROHIBITION: PHY3102
PREREQUISITE: PHY2011 and PHY2032; or both BMS1052 and BMS2031; or NUT1103 and NUT2103; or at the discretion of the unit coordinator.
Overview
The unit will build on your knowledge of body systems acquired in year 2. You will commence with an exposition of the major nutrient groups, their digestion, absorption, intracellular processing, metabolism and storage. This will lead you on to a consideration of the ways in which stored nutrients are retrieved and of nutrient and energy fluxes within the body. You will learn how the body senses food intake and nutrient/ energy stores at both the peripheral and central levels, as well as the physiological regulation of appetite and body weight. You will study common and important disorders including obesity, metabolic diseases and diabetes. You will develop understanding of the measurement of body mass and body composition, determination of food preferences, mechanisms of dysregulation of body mass, and interactions of disordered metabolism with the endocrine, cardiovascular and reproductive systems. You will finally consider the role of public information and therapeutic interventions including a consideration of alternative therapies from the perspective of evidence-based practice in the efficacy of weight loss strategies and treatment for cardiometabolic disease.
Offerings in 2023
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- In-semester testsIn class test30%
- Practical reportsReport30%
- Individual abstract and group poster presentationPresentation20%
- Opinion pieceOther20%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Describe the chemical, energetic and physiological attributes of the major nutrient groups and use this knowledge to explain whole body energy balance and nutrient stores;
- 2
Explain how peripheral and central mechanisms sense food intake and match this to body mass and energy stores;
- 3
Evaluate theories for the development of body mass disorders, metabolic syndrome and the associated treatments;
- 4
Explain the implications of obesity and the physiological consequences of weight gain on various physiological systems including metabolic, cardiovascular, reproductive and the development of cancer;
- 5
Critically evaluate the scientific literature and write scientific reports and essays;
- 6
Demonstrate scientific laboratory skills, including dissection, data analysis and graphing.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures36 hours
- Workshops8 hours
- Laboratories9 hours
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
- Teaching approachResearch activities
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
- Teaching approachOnline learning
- 6 hours of directed learning (lectures, laboratory classes and workshops) and
- 6 hours of self-directed study per week
You will work in pairs to research a weight loss intervention and then present the information as an opinion piece. This assessment will take a student-centered approach to work collaboratively in exploring a specific case of obesity management.
Laboratory classes in this unit will provide the opportunity to develop technical skills relevant to the fields of nutrient assimilation and animal models of obesity. For both practicals, you will generate data that needs to be analysed and interpreted to communicate the findings in the form of a written worksheet.
You will work in teams to research a topic related to the lecture content and then deliver the information as a poster presentation. Peer evaluation will be conducted using Feedback Fruits.
Online learning will form a core component of this unit. Lectures will be delivered as pre-recorded learning modules that are released at the start of each lecture theme for students to view at their own pace.
Learning resources
Required resources
Prescribed textbook: Vander’s Human Physiology (by Widmaier, Raff and Strang).
Where it fits
PHY3202 is part of 1 area of study in the 2023 handbook.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Associate Professor Renea Taylor
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Belinda Henry
- Dr Christine Lee
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for PHY3202?
PHY3202 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is PHY3202 offered?
In 2023, PHY3202 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
Does PHY3202 have an exam?
No. PHY3202 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include PHY3202?
PHY3202 is part of Physiology.