# USMLE High-Yield Nutrition Review

> Full nutrition review for Step 1 and Step 2 CK: GI absorption, all vitamins and minerals, drug-nutrient interactions, archetypes, tables and traps.

URL: https://vault-guides.vercel.app/nutrition.html
Canonical: https://vault-guides.vercel.app/nutrition.html

## Summary

A single-document nutrition review for Step 1 and Step 2 CK, synthesizing Divine Intervention EP650 and HyGuru NBME vignette patterns, and framed around the official USMLE statement that the enhanced nutrition content appears June 2026 and students should keep studying biochemistry as usual. It opens with a GI absorption framework — the fat absorption pathway from dietary triglycerides through micelles and chylomicrons to the lymphatics, and a segment-by-segment map of what is absorbed in the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, terminal ileum and colon — then covers the four fat-soluble vitamins, eight water-soluble vitamins, nine minerals and trace elements, ten drug-nutrient interactions, metabolic states including refeeding syndrome, clinical conditions, ten clinical archetypes such as the alcoholic and the gastric bypass patient, ten comparison tables, 14 USMLE traps, and social determinants including the nutrition vital sign and motivational interviewing. Orange boxes flag traps, purple boxes flag NBME vignette patterns, yellow boxes flag high-yield points, and cross-reference tags are clickable with ⌘K search.

## Key facts

- Sources cited: Divine Intervention EP650 and HyGuru NBME vignette patterns; official USMLE statement that enhanced nutrition content appears June 2026
- Fat absorption chain: bile salts → pancreatic lipase → micelles carrying A, D, E, K → duodenal enterocytes → chylomicrons (APO B48) → lymphatics; APO B100 is VLDL from the liver
- GI segment map: stomach (intrinsic factor), duodenum (iron, calcium, fat-soluble vitamins), jejunum (folate), terminal ileum (B12-IF complex and bile salts), colon (vitamin K from gut flora)
- Covers 8 water-soluble vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, B7, B9, B12, C) and 9 minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iodine, selenium, chromium, phosphate)
- 10 drug-nutrient interactions including warfarin–vitamin K, INH–B6, metformin–B12, PPIs, diuretics, statins–grapefruit, and MAOIs–tyramine
- 10 clinical archetypes and 10 comparison tables (B12 vs folate, marasmus vs kwashiorkor, PTH vs vitamin D, Wernicke vs Korsakoff, HMG-CoA synthase vs reductase, and others)
- A dedicated section of 14 USMLE traps — e.g. IM not IV epinephrine for anaphylaxis, LDL is not a metabolic syndrome criterion, bulimia causes metabolic alkalosis, grapefruit inhibits CYP3A4
- Nutrition vital sign is a seven-question screen; stages of change run pre-contemplative → contemplative → preparation → action → maintenance
- Described as one topic out of sixteen in USMLE Vault, which the page states includes page-by-page MCQs, 6,900+ Anki cards, and NBME-style mock exams

## Covers

USMLE nutrition high yield, vitamin deficiency USMLE Step 1, fat soluble vitamin malabsorption, B12 vs folate deficiency, drug nutrient interactions USMLE, refeeding syndrome USMLE, 2026 USMLE nutrition content, marasmus vs kwashiorkor

## Source

USMLE Vault — https://usmlevault.com
Author: Dr. Marish Asudani

Updated: 2026-08-26