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Glossary
Chapter 3
Adenosine triphosphate ) A high-energy chemical compound that the body uses for
(ATP)
immediate energy.
Adequate Intakes (AI)
The recommended amount of a nutrient intake when sufficient
evidence is not available to calculate the EAR and subsequent
RDA.
Adipose tissue
Fat cells in the body.
Aerobic
Exercise that requires oxygen to produce the necessary energy
(ATP) to carry out the activity.
Amenorrhea
Cessation of regular menstrual flow.
Amino acids
Chemical compounds that contain nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen,
and oxygen; the basic building blocks the body uses to build
different types of protein.
Anaerobic
Exercise that does not require oxygen to produce the necessary
energy (ATP) to carry out the activity.
Anticoagulant
Any substance that inhibits blood clotting.
Antioxidants
Compounds such as vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and
selenium that prevent oxygen from combining with other
substances in the body to which it may cause damage.
Calorie
The amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1 gram
of water 1 degree Centigrade; used to measure the energy value
of food and cost (energy expenditure) of physical activity.
Carbohydrate loading
Increasing intake of carbohydrates during heavy aerobic training
or prior to aerobic endurance events that last longer than 90
minutes.
Carbohydrates
A classification of dietary nutrient containing carbon, hydrogen,
and oxygen; the major source of energy for the human body.
Carotenoids
Pigment substances in plants that are often precursors to vitamin
A. Over 600 carotenoids are found in nature and about 50 of them
are precursors to vitamin A, the most potent one being betacarotene.
Cholesterol
A waxy substance, technically a steroid alcohol, found only in
animal fats and oil; used in making cell membranes, as a building
block for some hormones, in the fatty sheath around nerve fibers,
and in other necessary substances.
Complex carbohydrates Carbohydrates formed by three or more simple sugar molecules
linked together; also referred to as “polysaccharides.”
Creatine
An organic compound derived from meat, fish, and amino acids
that combines with inorganic phosphate to form creatine
phosphate.
Creatine phosphate
(CP)
A high-energy compound that is used by the cells to resynthesize
ATP during all-out activities of very short duration.
Cruciferous vegetables
Plants that produce cross-shaped leaves (cauliflower, broccoli,
cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi); seem to have a
protective effect against cancer.
Daily Values (DV)
Reference values for nutrients and food components used in food
labels.
Dietary Reference
Intakes (DRIs)
A general term that describes four types of nutrient standards,
which establish adequate amounts and maximum safe nutrient
intakes in the diet. These standards are Estimated Average
Requirements (EAR), Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA),
Adequate Intakes (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL).
Dietary fiber
A complex carbohydrate in plant foods that is not digested but is
essential to the digestion process.
Disaccharides
Simple carbohydrates formed by two monosaccharide units linked
together, one of which is glucose. The major disaccharides are
sucrose, lactose, and maltose.
Enzymes
Catalysts that facilitate chemical reactions in the body.
Essential fat
Minimal amount of body fat needed for normal physiological
functions; constitutes about 3 percent of total weight in men and
12 percent in women.
Estimated Average
Requirements (EAR)
The amount of a nutrient that meets the dietary needs in half the
people.
Estrogen
Female sex hormone; essential for bone formation and
conservation of bone density.
Fats
Nutrients containing carbon, hydrogen, some oxygen, and
sometimes other chemical elements.
Ferritin
Iron stored in the body.
Folate
One of the B vitamins.
Functional
independence
Ability to carry out activities of daily living without assistance from
other individuals.
Glycogen
Form in which glucose is stored in the body.
Hemoglobin
Protein–iron compound in red blood cells that transports oxygen in
the blood.
High density
lipoproteins (HDLs)
Cholesterol-transporting molecules in the blood (“good”
cholesterol) that help clear cholesterol from the blood.
International unit (IU)
Measure of nutrients in foods.
Lactic acid
End product of anaerobic glycolysis (metabolism).
Lactovegetarians
Vegetarians who eat foods from the milk group.
Lipoproteins
Lipids covered by proteins, they transport fats in the blood; types
are LDL, HDL, and VLDL.
Low-density
lipoproteins (LDLs)
Cholesterol-transporting molecules in the blood (“bad” cholesterol)
that tend to increase blood cholesterol.
Mediterranean diet
Typical diet of people around the Mediterranean region that
focuses on olive oil, red wine, grains, legumes, vegetables, and
fruits, with limited amounts of meat, fish, milk, and cheese.
Megadoses
For most vitamins, 10 times the RDA or more; for vitamins A and
D, 5 and 2 times the RDA, respectively.
Minerals
Inorganic elements found in the body and in food; essential for
normal body functions.
Monosaccharides
The simplest carbohydrates (sugars) formed by five- or six-carbon
skeletons. The three most common monosaccharides are
glucose, fructose, and galactose.
Nutrient density
A measure of the amount of nutrients and calories in various
foods.
Nutrients
Substances found in food that provide energy, regulate
metabolism, and help with growth and repair of body tissues.
Nutrition
Science that studies the relationship of foods to optimal health
and performance.
Oligomenorrhea
Irregular menstrual cycles.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Polyunsaturated fatty acids found primarily in cold-water seafood,
flaxseed, and flaxseed oil; thought to lower blood cholesterol and
triglycerides.
Osteoporosis
Softening, deterioration, or loss of bone mass.
Ovolactovegetarians
Vegetarians who include eggs and milk products in their diet.
Ovovegetarians
Vegetarians who allow eggs in their diet.
Oxygen free radicals
Substances formed during metabolism that attack and damage
proteins and lipids, in particular the cell membrane and DNA,
leading to diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and
emphysema.
Peristalsis
Involuntary muscle contractions of intestinal walls that facilitate
excretion of wastes.
Phytochemicals
Chemical compounds thought to prevent and fight cancer; found
in large quantities in fruits and vegetables.
Pro-vitamin
A compound that can be converted into a vitamin.
Recommended Dietary
Allowances (RDA)
The daily amount of a nutrient (statistically determined from the
EARs) considered adequate to meet the known nutrient needs of
almost 98 percent of all healthy people in the United States.
Registered dietician
(RD)
A person with a college degree in dietetics who meets all
certification and continuing education requirements by the
American Dietetic Association or Dietitians of Canada.
Reverse cholesterol
transport
A process in which HDL molecules attract cholesterol and carry it
to the liver, where it is changed to bile and eventually excreted in
the stool.
Semivegetarians
Vegetarians who include milk products, eggs, and fish and poultry
in the diet.
Simple carbohydrates
Formed by simple or double sugar units with little nutritive value;
divided into monosaccharides and disaccharides.
Sterols
Derived fats, of which cholesterol is the best known example.
Substrate
Substance acted upon by an enzyme (examples: carbohydrates
and fats).
Supplements
Tablets, pills, capsules, liquids, or powders that contain vitamins,
minerals, amino acids, herbs, or fiber that are taken to increase
the intake of these nutrients.
Synergy
A reaction in which the result is greater than the sum of its two
parts.
Transfatty acid
Solidified fat formed by adding hydrogen to monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats to increase shelf life.
Vegans
Vegetarians who eat no animal products at all.
Vegetarians
Individuals whose diet is of vegetable or plant origin.
Very low-density
lipoproteins (VLDLs)
Triglyceride, cholesterol, and phospholipid-transporting molecules
in the blood that tend to increase blood cholesterol.
Vitamins
Organic nutrients essential for normal metabolism, growth, and
development of the body.