Reading Comprehension HESI A2 Practice Test Related

FAT IN A HEALTHY DIET:
After years of bad publicity, it may sound absurd, but many dietitians are now extolling the virtues of consuming fat. According to Laurie Tansman, a nutritionist at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, fat "not only plays a vital role in the health of the membrane of every cell in our body, it also helps protect us from a number of key health threats." Fat is a critical part of your necessary food intake, with a general recommendation that 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat. Without it, your body would not be able to absorb or transport vitamins A, D, E, and K. Additionally, body temperature, hair follicles, and skin cells all rely on the consumption of fats to function properly.
There is near-universal agreement that the healthiest fats are unsaturated fats. This category includes olive oil, sesame oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, and omega-3 fatty acids. When consumed in moderation, these fats can lower cholesterol levels, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. Saturated fats, while not as healthy as unsaturated fats, should still be consumed more sparingly. These fats are commonly found in animal products such as beef, pork, and chicken.
The least healthy of all fats are trans-fatty acids, or trans fats. Though trans fats can occur naturally in small amounts in animal products, they are more commonly found as artificially produced oils used for frying foods or softening prepackaged snacks. These fats increase the risk of heart disease, and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend consuming as few trans fats as possible.

Choose the best summary of the passage.

• A. We often think of all fat as bad, but it is clear that certain fats, especially the more healthful unsaturated fats, are important for bodily function.
• B. If you must consume some fat, be sure to choose unsaturated fats such as oils rather than saturated fats found in prepackaged snacks or animal products.
• C. Doctors and researchers have discovered that without the calories found in fat, people would not have functioning metabolisms.
• D. Some intake of saturated fat is necessary, but you should stay away from the kind of fat found in fried food, which can lead to heart disease.

Coffee Consumption During Pregnancy:
The health risks of coffee have long been debated, but a recent study has added another argument against too much coffee consumption. This study looked at the effect of drinking coffee on pregnant women. Conducted by physicians at Kaiser Permanente, the study explored the connection between caffeine and the risk of miscarriage.
This study followed more than 1,000 women who became pregnant within a two-year period. The amount of caffeine they drank was logged, as well as which women experienced a miscarriage. The results, as published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, stated that the risk of miscarriage more than doubled in women who consumed 200 mg or more of caffeine per day—about what is found in two cups of coffee.
Why does caffeine carry this risk? Researchers are not sure, but they theorize that the caffeine restricts blood flow to the placenta. This, in turn, can harm the developing fetus.
Does this mean the physicians will start advising women to quit drinking coffee while pregnant? Yes and no. Some doctors will certainly take this report to heart and encourage their patients to stay away from more than one cup of coffee a day, just as they recommend not drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes. Others are not so convinced and doubt that this single study is enough to overturn the established guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Instead, they believe that a lot more research needs to be done.

Based on this passage, what can the reader infer about the advice physicians will give their pregnant patients about coffee consumption?

• A. Almost all of them will advise women to stop drinking any caffeine until after the baby is born.
• B. The majority will ignore the study altogether and continue to advise caffeine in moderation as before.
• C. All of them will demand additional research be done before they change what they tell their patients.
• D. Some will continue to make their normal recommendations about caffeine, while others will be more cautious than before.

SLEEP:
Most people get a little grumpy when they do not get enough sleep, but for children, the issue may extend beyond mere irritability. Lack of sleep can affect their weight and overall behavior. A study conducted in New Zealand at the University of Auckland and published in the medical journal Sleep followed almost 600 children from infancy through seven years of age. Researchers observed the children�s sleep patterns and found that they generally slept less on weekends than during the week, and even less during the summer months.
According to the findings, children who slept the least were at a greater risk for being overweight and experiencing behavioral problems. Those who regularly slept less than nine hours a night were three times more likely to be obese and to show signs of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to those who slept more. These results were based on questionnaires completed by the children�s parents and teachers.
The connection between sleep and weight is still not fully understood, but experts suspect that chronic sleep deprivation may alter hormones involved in appetite control and metabolism. This is a connection that needs further exploration to be fully understood.
Experts recommend that preschoolers get 11 to 13 hours of sleep each night, while school-age children should get between 10 and 11 hours per night. However, many children average only 8 hours of sleep. The study concluded that adjusting sleep duration is a manageable risk factor that can help prevent future health problems for today�s young people.

What conclusion can a reader draw about the connection between sleep and young children?

• A. Lack of sleep causes children to fail in school.
• B. Inadequate rest raises the risk of behavioral and physical problems.
• C. Sleeping less than 10 hours a night is guaranteed to result in obesity.
• D. Eight hours of sleep each night meets the requirements of most children.

MICROBES IN HUMAN HEALTH:
There are 10 times more microbes than human cells in the human body. Scientists have long known that the human body hosts a staggering number of microorganisms. Recent discoveries, however, are shedding light on how pivotal these bacteria are in the development of the human immune system. The body supports a wide array of microorganisms specially adapted to survive in particular regions. Remarkably, there is such variation in these microorganisms that few people share the same strains in the same quantities.
The colonization of microbes begins at birth. A newborn infant, emerging from the germ-free environment of the womb, is immediately exposed to germs from its mother's birth canal. These bacteria swiftly begin to breed and colonize the infant's body, which becomes their new host. The most fascinating discovery is not just that the immune system tolerates these millions of harmless organisms, but that it may actually rely on their presence to function properly.
For example, laboratory mice unable to produce a specific inflammation-reducing molecule were injected with a particular strain of bacteria. After the bacteria colonized, the mice's immune systems developed the ability to synthesize the molecule. Essentially, the mice needed the bacteria for their immune systems to function correctly.
This concept is also being applied to humans through a relatively experimental procedure known as fecal bacteriotherapy. This treatment reintroduces healthy bacteria into a colon that has lost its ability to defend against pathogens. While scientists are only beginning to understand the critical role these microorganisms play in human health, early research has yielded remarkable discoveries.

Which of the following is not listed as a detail in the passage about microbes?

• A. Babies are born coated with germs from the birth canal.
• B. Mice and humans respond to microbes differently.
• C. Few people share the same microbes in the same quantities.
• D. Human bodies contain far more microbes than they do cells.

MRSA:
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a form of the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium that is resistant to antibiotics and, as a result, is very difficult to treat. MRSA now kills more Americans every year than HIV/AIDS, and the rates of infection are rising. Methicillin, an antibiotic introduced in the 1960s, was intended to combat Staphylococcus aureus, which is ubiquitous in hospitals. However, within a year of its introduction, doctors began finding strains of bacteria that had already developed immunity to methicillin. By the 1990s, MRSA had become the leading hospital-acquired skin infection in the United States.
At the same time MRSA started appearing outside of hospitals, different strains of the bacteria emerged, spreading just as quickly and being just as dangerous. In the past 15 years, MRSA bacteria have become ubiquitous not only in hospitals but also in gyms, locker rooms, swimming pools, and other settings with frequent human contact.
Researchers in Ireland are developing technology that may significantly halt the spread of hospital-associated MRSA bacteria. They have created a textile made of nanomaterials 1,000 times smaller than a human hair. These textiles have been shown to halt the spread of infection and can be used for linens, drapes, and upholstery in hospitals. The potential for this technology to reduce instances of hospital-associated MRSA is staggering.
To reduce your risk of community-associated MRSA infection, regularly wash your hands, cover all open wounds with a clean bandage, and avoid sharing personal items like razors or towels.

Which of the following statements is an opinion related to MRSA?

• A. Hand-washing stations are one means of combating MRSA infection.
• B. Not all Staphylococcus bacteria are resistant to antibiotics.
• C. Hospitals in the United States should quickly adopt the use of new germ-fighting textiles.
• D. MRSA infection kills more people in the United States than does HIV/AIDS.