Prandial - describing mealtimes: pre-prandial is before meals and post-prandium is after meals.
Ideal Weight Chart - a graph to help people to locate their ideal body weight range. This chart assumes knowledge of whether the person is small, medium, or large-framed.
High Blood Pressure - also known as hypertension. Blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day. An optimal BP (blood pressure) reading is below 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury, which is the unit to measure blood pressure). When blood pressure stays elevated, greater than or equivalent with 140/90 mmHg, it is said to be hypertension or high blood pressure. Hypertension multiplies the risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Adrenal - a flattened, roughly triangular gland of the endosecretory system (comprising of organs that release their products into the blood), which secretes hormones that control growth, metabolism, mood, and reproduction and influence almost every cell and organ in the body, including epinephrine (adrenaline) and cortisol (associated with the physical effects of the stress response within the body).
Mono- and Di-Glycerides - emulsifiers (substances which promotes the suspension of one liquid in another) used in shortening, margarine, cacao products (cacao beans that are processed to make chocolate, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter) and baked goods. Most often extracted from soybean fat, these food additives prevent food components from separating into their constituent parts.
Correlation - an association, or when one phenomenon is found to be accompanied by another. A correlation need not analyze the relationship between an event or circumstance and its causes and/or its effects. Correlation might also be a statistical definition.
Toxicology - the scientific study of the symptoms, mechanisms, treatments, and detection of biological poisoning in humans.
Digestion - the process by which the alimentary tract (stomach and intestines) converts food into a form that can be absorbed by the body.
Vitamins - organic compounds that are key nutrients in very moderate amounts to control metabolic processes and cannot be synthesized by the body. Vitamins are generally categorized by the medium in which they are soluble, which, to a certain degree determines their stable characteristics; presence in food groups; body-fluid distribution; and tissue storage capacity. There are two groups of vitamins: fat-soluble (A, D, E, and K) and water-soluble vitamins (C, B and B-complex). The body is able to keep a reserve of fat-soluble vitamins in the liver and fat tissues and use these stores when required. Water-soluble vitamins cannot be stored this way and have to be replenished often. Vitamins are absolutely vital for good health. Most of the vitamins that are water-soluble are constituents of necessary enzyme systems. A lot of them play an active role in the physiological reactions that metabolize food to produce energy. Water-soluble vitamins are not usually stored for future use in the body in substantial quantities and are usually eliminated as bodily wastes through the urine. Consequently, a daily supply is desirable in order to prevent depletion and interruption of normal physiological functions.
Stanol / Sterol Esters - a heterogeneous group of functional chemical compounds present in wood oils, corn, soy, and wheat, which might lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by decreasing the amount of cholesterol in the blood.
Control Group - the group of subjects in a study that form the basis of evaluation so as to determine whether a treatment or observation works. In an experimental study, it is the group that does not get a treatment. participants in the control group are as similar as possible to those in the experimental treatment or test group.
Stretch Reflex - a protective, automatic nerve response that causes muscular contraction. Bouncing or overstretching could trigger the reflexive action, in which muscle tissues attempt to shield themselves from injury.
Trans Fats - hydrogenated fats. Hydrogenation, discovered in the early 1900s, is the technique of the addition of molecules of hydrogen directly to unsaturated fats such as those found in vegetable oils. Oils that have been hydrogenated provide good stability and textural qualities to food items. The solidity and spreadability of margarines, flakiness of pastry used in pies, smooth and rich texture of desserts, and crispiness of French fries are characteristics supplied by hydrogenated oil ingredients. In partial hydrogenation, some hydrogen atoms move from the same side to the opposite side of a double bond, creating another arrangement of fatty acids, called `trans`, which means `opposite`. The trans fat constituent of partially hydrogenated oils might be very different, according to the degree of hydrogenation used and the volume used in that specific product. For example, the quantity of trans fat present in a product containing lightly hydrogenated vegetable oil listed `low` in the ingredient list could make very little difference to the nutrition value. When vegetable or other oil described in the list of ingredients as `hydrogenated`, this tab denotes that it has been fully hydrogenated, which means it has been completely saturated with hydrogen atoms, thereby resulting in a saturated fatty acid containing no trans fats. Trans fats are an organic component of beef, lamb, and dairy products. Nevertheless, the primary trans fat sources in the US diet are partly hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are found in food products like baked goods (cookies, pastries, crackers) and fried foods. The Institute of Medicine (IOM), a part of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) lately established that trans fatty acids have much in common with saturated fats and dietary cholesterol in terms of the way they affect LDL (`bad` cholesterol) levels in the blood. Moreover, certain research studies suggest that higher consumption of trans fats may lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL or `good cholesterol`) levels in the blood. The average trans fatty acid intake within the U.S. is 2.6 percent of total caloric intake, compared with 12 % of total caloric intake coming from saturated fat.
Renal Threshold - the blood glucose level above which glucose spills into the urine.
Oxidation - a chemical reaction in which a compound (or element) loses electrons. When one compound is oxidized, another compound or element is reduced. That is, the other compound has to `pick up` the electrons which the earlier compound or element has lost. With reference to the body, free radicals (uncharged atoms or molecules with one or more unpaired electrons) are a form of oxidation, and play a role in the slow deterioration that marks the aging process in all humans.
Pancreas - an organ located at the back of the lower region of the stomach, which is approximately the size of a hand. It secretes insulin so that the body can use sugar (glucose) for energy. It also produces enzymes that help the body to absorb nutrients from food. Scattered over the pancreas are areas called the islets of Langerhans. The cells in these areas each have a special biological function. The alpha cells make glucagon, which increases glucose levels in the bloodstream; the beta cells secrete insulin; the delta cells make somatostatin.
Anaerobic - not containing oxygen or not requiring oxygen.
Tagatose - in technical terms, called D-tagatose, a low-calorie sweetener derived from lactose, which is naturally found in certain dairy products and other foods. Tagatose has been deemed to be a GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) substance within the United States, which authorizes its use in edible goods and beverages.
Controlled Experiment - a controlled set of variables in a research study. In this sort of research, study subjects (whether human or animal) are chosen according to applicable attributes, and subsequently randomly assigned to either an experimental group, or placed in a control group. Such random assignment makes certain that factors referred to as variables, which might have an impact on the outcome of the test study, are apportioned equally between the two groups and hence cannot cause inequalities in the effect of the treatment under research. The testing group is subsequently given a treatment (also known as an `intervention`), and the results are compared to the control group, which gets no treatment. A placebo, or other inactive treatment, might be administered to the control group. With all other variables controlled, discrepancies between the experimental (treated) and control (non-treated) groups can be attributed to the treatment being studied.
Additives (Food Additives) - any natural or synthetic flavoring or preservative, with the exception of the actual uncooked ingredients used for the production of any edible item to make the finished product look, taste, or smell better. Any substance that might affect the characteristics of any kind of food, including additives used during the production, processing, treatment, packaging, transportation or storage of food.
Cholesterol (different classes) - Blood cholesterol is divided into 3 distinct classes of lipoproteins: very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which contains most of the cholesterol found in the blood, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
Insulin-Dependent Diabetes - a condition in which the pancreas is unable to secret any insulin, causing abnormally high levels of blood glucose (sugar). Also referred to as juvenile diabetes.
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