Copy of `Diet and Health Net - Health glossary`
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Diet and Health Net - Health glossary
Category: Health and Medicine > Dieting Glossary
Date & country: 27/04/2012, USA
Words: 59
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Amino acidsThe nitrogen containing units from which proteins are formed. There are 22 known amino acids....
AntioxidantA substance that protects molecules from oxidation by getting oxidized itself....
BingeingAn eating spree....
BioavailabilityThe extent to which the body can utilise a particular nutrient....
CalorieEnergy unit; a single calorie is the amount heat needed to increase the temperature of one gram of water by one degree centigrade....
CaroteneAn orange-yellow pigment usually found in vegetables. A precursor of vitamin A....
CationA positively charged ion....
CelluloseAn insoluble fibre. Part of the cell walls of all plant cells....
CholesterolA fatty substance (lipid) found in animal tissue and fat....
Co-enzymeA substance, usually made out of a vitamin, associated with many enzymes and essential for their function....
CohortA group of people who are followed in a scientific study....
Complex carbohydratePolysaccharides comprised of starches and dietary fibres....
DietThe kind of food eaten by any animal to maintain or improve its state of health....
Disaccharidesare two sugars linked together
DiureticA substance that increases the flow of urine from the body....
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acidthe nucleic acid in chromosomes that is part of the chemical basis for hereditary characteristics....
DyspneaBreathing difficulties....
EnzymeA protein substance that acts as a catalyst in biochemical reactions....
Epithelial Tissueforming the outer layer of body surface....
Essential amino acidsNine amino acids that can not be synthesized by mammals and are therefore dietarily essential....
EstersAn organic compound produced by reaction between acid and alcohol....
Fat soluble vitaminsneed fat for proper assimilation and are more easily stored in the body....
Fatty acidsare lipids, (organic compounds with limited solubility in water), that can be directly utilized as a source of energy by most body cells....
FringeThe unofficial or unconventional school of thought about diet and nutrition....
Heme ironIron found in haemoglobin. It is an easily absorbed dietary iron....
HemodynamicThe status of the body's blood system....
HydrolysisDecomposition of organic compound with water....
HypercholesterolemicExcessive quantity of cholesterol in the blood and tissues....
HyperglycaemiaAn elevated concentration of glucose in the blood....
HyperkalemiaAcute intoxication of potassium, from intakes of about 18 g for adults. Can prove fatal because it can cause cardiac arrest....
HypertriglyceridemicExcessive quantity of fatty acids....
HypoglycaemiaLow blood sugar levels, often causing confusion, light headedness and irritability....
Intestinal bacteriaMicroscopic organisms found in the colon that can help with the assimilation of certain nutrients....
LipidsGroup of chemicals, usually fats, that do not dissolve in water, but dissolve in ether....
LipoproteinsLipid-protein particles that are carried through the blood stream....
MacrobioticA very restrictive diet, containing mainly whole grains, considered by its advocates to promote health....
MetabolismSummary of all chemical events in our body's cells....
Mono-unsaturated fatscontaining a single double bond, usually found in plant products....
Monosaccharidesare single sugars
NeurotransmitterA chemical that transmits signals between the nerve cells and the brain....
Non-heme ironIron 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 densityThe amount of and availability of nutrients found in a single food....
OedemaSwelling due to the retention of fluids in the tissues....
OxalatesOrganic chemical found in certain foods that can combine with calcium to form calcium oxalate, an insoluble chemical the body can not use....
Parenteral NutritionIntravenous solution containing nutrients....
PhytateA substance found inside the husk of whole grains and cereals that binds certain minerals making them unavailable....
PolysaccharidesAre many sugars linked together
Polyunsaturated fatsHighly unsaturated fat, usually of plant origin....
QuackA fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill....
Recommended Dietary AllowanceThe 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....
RenalFunctioning of the kidneys....
RetinolNaturally occurring compounds with some vitamin A activity, usually of animal origin....
Saturated fatsA type of fat found in animal products, usually solid at room temperature. Tends to raise blood cholesterol levels....
Simple carbohydratesAre monosaccharides (glucose and fructose) and disaccharides (sucrose, maltose and lactose)....
Simple sugarFructose and glucose which are more easily absorbed and utilized by the body....
SolutesTrace elements or minerals dissolved in a substance....
Subcutaneous body fatFat found under the skin....
Unsaturated fatsUsually liquid at room temperature, and primarily found in vegetable products. Saturated fats which are usually solid are found more often in animal products....
Western DietThe 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....
