A nurse is calculating the protein needs of a client who is a physical trainer.
The client weighs 220 lb and requires an increase of protein by 2.0 g/kg/day.
The client has taken 0.8 g of protein/kg/day in the past.
How much total protein/day should the nurse recommend?
A.
80 g of protein/day.
B.
120 g of protein/day.
C.
280 g of protein/day.
D.
400 g of protein/day.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To determine the total amount of protein per day that the nurse should recommend for the client, follow these steps:
- Convert the client’s weight from pounds to kilograms:
- Weight in pounds: 220 lb
- Conversion factor: 1 kg = 2.20462 lb [
\text{Weight in kg} = \frac{\text{Weight in lb}}{\text{Conversion factor}} = \frac{220 \, \text{lb}}{2.20462 \, \text{lb/kg}} \approx 99.79 \, \text{kg}
]
- Calculate the current protein intake:
- The client previously consumed 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. [
\text{Current protein intake} = \text{Weight in kg} \times 0.8 \, \text{g/kg/day} = 99.79 \, \text{kg} \times 0.8 \, \text{g/kg/day} \approx 79.83 \, \text{g/day}
]
- Determine the increased protein requirement:
- The required increase is 2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. [
\text{Increased protein intake} = \text{Weight in kg} \times 2.0 \, \text{g/kg/day} = 99.79 \, \text{kg} \times 2.0 \, \text{g/kg/day} \approx 199.58 \, \text{g/day}
]
- Calculate the total recommended protein intake:
- The total recommended protein intake is the sum of the current protein intake and the increased protein intake. [
\text{Total protein intake} = \text{Current protein intake} + \text{Increased protein intake} = 79.83 \, \text{g/day} + 199.58 \, \text{g/day} \approx 279.41 \, \text{g/day}
]
- Round to the nearest whole number:
- The total protein intake should be rounded to the nearest whole number, which is approximately 280 g/day.
Thus, the correct answer is:
C. 280 g of protein/day.
Explanation:
The client, who is a physical trainer and weighs 220 pounds, needs to increase their protein intake to support their physical activity level. By converting the weight to kilograms and applying the increase in protein requirement, we calculated that the client should have approximately 280 grams of protein per day. This amount accounts for both their current intake and the additional protein needed to meet their increased requirement.