Glossary

    Amino acids

    Amino acids - The nitrogen containing units from which proteins are formed. There are 22 known amino acids....

    Antioxidant

    Antioxidant - A substance that protects molecules from oxidation by getting oxidized itself....

    Bingeing

    Bingeing - An eating spree....

    Bioavailability

    Bioavailability - The extent to which the body can utilise a particular nutrient....

    Calorie

    Calorie - Energy unit; a single calorie is the amount heat needed to increase the temperature of one gram of water by one degree centigrade....

    Carotene

    Carotene - An orange-yellow pigment usually found in vegetables. A precursor of vitamin A....

    Cation

    Cation - A positively charged ion....

    Cellulose

    Cellulose - An insoluble fibre. Part of the cell walls of all plant cells....

    Cholesterol

    Cholesterol - A fatty substance (lipid) found in animal tissue and fat....

    Co-enzyme

    Co-enzyme - A substance, usually made out of a vitamin, associated with many enzymes and essential for their function....

    Cohort

    Cohort - A group of people who are followed in a scientific study....

    Complex carbohydrate

    Complex carbohydrate - Polysaccharides comprised of starches and dietary fibres....

    Diet

    Diet - The kind of food eaten by any animal to maintain or improve its state of health....

    Disaccharides

    Disaccharides - are two sugars linked together - sucrose composed of fructose and glucose or lactose composed of glucose and galactose....

    Diuretic

    Diuretic - A substance that increases the flow of urine from the body....

    DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid

    DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid - ; the nucleic acid in chromosomes that is part of the chemical basis for hereditary characteristics....

    Dyspnea

    Dyspnea - Breathing difficulties....

    Enzyme

    Enzyme - A protein substance that acts as a catalyst in biochemical reactions....

    Epithelial Tissue

    Epithelial Tissue - forming the outer layer of body surface....

    Essential amino acids

    Essential amino acids - Nine amino acids that can not be synthesized by mammals and are therefore dietarily essential....

    Esters

    Esters - An organic compound produced by reaction between acid and alcohol....

    Fat soluble vitamins

    Fat soluble vitamins - need fat for proper assimilation and are more easily stored in the body....

    Fatty acids

    Fatty acids - are lipids, (organic compounds with limited solubility in water), that can be directly utilized as a source of energy by most body cells....

    Fringe

    Fringe - The unofficial or unconventional school of thought about diet and nutrition....

    Heme iron

    Heme iron - Iron found in haemoglobin. It is an easily absorbed dietary iron....

    Hemodynamic

    Hemodynamic - The status of the body's blood system....

    Hydrolysis

    Hydrolysis - Decomposition of organic compound with water....

    Hypercholesterolemic

    Hypercholesterolemic - Excessive quantity of cholesterol in the blood and tissues....

    Hyperglycaemia

    Hyperglycaemia - An elevated concentration of glucose in the blood....

    Hyperkalemia

    Hyperkalemia - Acute intoxication of potassium, from intakes of about 18 g for adults. Can prove fatal because it can cause cardiac arrest....

    Hypertriglyceridemic

    Hypertriglyceridemic - Excessive quantity of fatty acids....

    Hypoglycaemia

    Hypoglycaemia - Low blood sugar levels, often causing confusion, light headedness and irritability....

    Intestinal bacteria

    Intestinal bacteria - Microscopic organisms found in the colon that can help with the assimilation of certain nutrients....

    Lipids

    Lipids - Group of chemicals, usually fats, that do not dissolve in water, but dissolve in ether....

    Lipoproteins

    Lipoproteins - Lipid-protein particles that are carried through the blood stream....

    Macrobiotic

    Macrobiotic - A very restrictive diet, containing mainly whole grains, considered by its advocates to promote health....

    Metabolism

    Metabolism - Summary of all chemical events in our body's cells....

    Mono-unsaturated fats

    Mono-unsaturated fats - containing a single double bond, usually found in plant products....

    Monosaccharides

    Monosaccharides - are single sugars - fructose, glucose or galactose....

    Neurotransmitter

    Neurotransmitter - A chemical that transmits signals between the nerve cells and the brain....

    Non-heme iron

    Non-heme iron - Iron that is less easily absorbed by the body and is influenced by the composition of the diet. Vitamin C, meat, and fish enhance the absorption while tannic acid and phytic acid reduce iron absorption....

    Nutrient density

    Nutrient density - The amount of and availability of nutrients found in a single food....

    Oedema

    Oedema - Swelling due to the retention of fluids in the tissues....

    Oxalates

    Oxalates - Organic chemical found in certain foods that can combine with calcium to form calcium oxalate, an insoluble chemical the body can not use....

    Parenteral Nutrition

    Parenteral Nutrition - Intravenous solution containing nutrients....

    Phytate

    Phytate - A substance found inside the husk of whole grains and cereals that binds certain minerals making them unavailable....

    Polysaccharides

    Polysaccharides - Are many sugars linked together - starch and cellulose....

    Polyunsaturated fats

    Polyunsaturated fats - Highly unsaturated fat, usually of plant origin....

    Quack

    Quack - A fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill....

    Recommended Dietary Allowance

    Recommended Dietary Allowance - The levels of intake of essential nutrients judged by the Food and Nutrition Board, on the basis of scientific knowledge, to be adequate to meet the nutrient needs of all healthy persons....

    Renal

    Renal - Functioning of the kidneys....

    Retinol

    Retinol - Naturally occurring compounds with some vitamin A activity, usually of animal origin....

    Saturated fats

    Saturated fats - A type of fat found in animal products, usually solid at room temperature. Tends to raise blood cholesterol levels....

    Simple carbohydrates

    Simple carbohydrates - Are monosaccharides (glucose and fructose) and disaccharides (sucrose, maltose and lactose)....

    Simple sugar

    Simple sugar - Fructose and glucose which are more easily absorbed and utilized by the body....

    Solutes

    Solutes - Trace elements or minerals dissolved in a substance....

    Subcutaneous body fat

    Subcutaneous body fat - Fat found under the skin....

    Unsaturated fats

    Unsaturated fats - Usually liquid at room temperature, and primarily found in vegetable products. Saturated fats which are usually solid are found more often in animal products....

    Western Diet

    Western Diet - The diet followed by most people in the Western World, consisting mainly of processed foods, junk foods and fast foods with a high sodium, sugar and saturated fat content and a low nutrient density....