Glossary

Absorption:

the process by which nutrients are passed into the bloodstream.

Acetate:

a derivative of acetic acid.

Acetic acid:

used as a synthetic flavoring agent, one of the first food additives (vinegar is approximately 4 to 6 percent acetic acid); it is found naturally in cheese, coffee, grapes, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries; Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) when used only in packaging.

Acetone:

a colorless solvent for fat, oils, and waxes, which is obtained by fermentation (inhalation can irritate lungs, and large amounts have a narcotic effect).

Acid:

a water-soluble substance with sour taste.

Adrenals:

the glands, located above each kidney, that manufacture adrenaline.

Alkali:

an acid-neutralizing substance (sodium bicarbonate is an alkali used for excess acidity in foods).

Allergen:

a substance that causes an allergy.

Alzheimer's disease:

a progressively degenerative disease, involved with loss of memory, which new research indicates might be helped with extra choline.

Amino acid chelates:

chelated minerals that have been produced by many of the same processes nature uses to chelate minerals in the body; in the digestive tract, nature surrounds the elemental minerals with amino acid, permitting them to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Amino acids:

the organic compounds from which proteins are constructed; there are twenty-two known amino acids, but only nine are indispensable nutrients for man: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, total S-containing amino acids, total aromatic amino acids, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

Anorexia:

loss of appetite.

Antibiotic:

any of various substances that are effective in inhibiting or destroying bacteria.

Anticoagulant:

something that delays or prevents blood-clotting.

Antigen:

any substance not normally present in the body that stimulates the body to produce antibodies.

Antihistamine:

a drug used to reduce effects associated with histamine production in allergies and colds.

Antioxidant:

a substance that can protect another substance from oxidation; added to foods to keep oxygen from changing the food's color.

Antitoxin:

an antibody formed in response to, and capable of neutralizing, a poison of biologic origin.

Assimilation:

the process whereby nutrients are used by the body and changed into living tissue.

Ataxia:

loss of coordinated movement caused by disease of nervous system.

ATP:

a molecule called adenozine triphosphate, the fuel of life, a nucleotide-building block of nucleic acid--the produces biological energy with B1, B2, B3, and pantothenic acid.

Avidin:

a protein in egg white capable of inactivating biotin.

Bacteriophage:

a virus that infects bacteria.

Bariatrician:

a weight-control doctor.

B-Cells:

white blood cells, made in the bone marrow, which produce antibodies upon instructions from T-cells, which blood cells manufactured in the thymus.

BHA:

butylated hydroxyanisole; a preservative and antioxidant used in many products; insoluble in water; can be toxic to the kidneys.

BHT:

butylated hydroxytoluene; a solid, white crystalline antioxidant used to retard spoilage of many foods; can be more toxic to the kidney than its nearly identical chemical cousin BHA.

Bioflavonoids:

usually from orange and lemon rinds, these citrus-flavored compounds needed to maintain healthy bloodvessel walls are widely available in plants, citrus fruits, and rose hips; known as vitamin P complex.

Calciferol:

a colorless, odorless crystalline material, insoluble in water; soluble in fats; a synthetic form of vitamin D made by irradiating ergosterol with ultraviolet light.

Calcium gluconate:

an organic form of calcium.

Capillary:

a minute blood vessel, one of many that connect the arteries and veins.

Carcinogen:

a cancer-causing substance.

Carotene:

an orange-yellow pigment occurring in many plants and capable of being converted into vitamin A in the body.

Casein:

the protein in milk that has become the standard by which protein quality is measured.

Catabolism:

the metabolic change of nutrients or complex substances into simpler compounds, accompanied by a release of energy.

Catalyst:

a substance that modifies, especially increases, the rate of chemical reaction without being consumed or changed in the process.

Chelation:

a process by which mineral substances are changed into easily digestible form.

Chronic:

of long duration; continuing; constant.

CNS:

central nervous system.

Coenzyme:

the major portion, though nonprotein, part of an enzyme; usually a B vitamin.

Collagen:

the primary organic constituent of bone, cartilage, and connective tissue (becomes gelatin through boiling).

Congenital:

condition existing at birth, not hereditary.

Dehydration:

a condition resulting from an excessive loss of water from the body.

Dermatitis:

an inflammation of the skin; a rash.

Desiccated:

dried; preserved by removing moisture.

Dicalcium phosphate:

a filler used in pills, which is derived from purified mineral rocks and is an excellent source of calcium and phosphorus.

Diluents:

fillers; inert material added to tablets to increase their bulk in order to make them a practical size for compression.

Diuretic:

tending to increase the flow of urine from the body.

DNA:

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

Endogenous:

being produced from within the body.

Enteric coated:

a tablet coated so that it dissolves in the intestine, not in the stomach (which is acid).

Enuresis:

bed-wetting.

Enzyme:

a protein substance found in living cells that brings about chemical changes; necessary for digestion of food.

Excipient:

any inert substance used as a dilutant or vehicle for a drug.

Exogenous:

being derived or developed from external causes.

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration.

Fibrin:

an insoluble protein that forms the necessary fibrous network in the coagulation of blood.

Free-radicals:

highly reactive chemical fragments that can produce an irritation of artery walls, start the arteriosclerotic process if vitamin E is not present; generally harmful.

Fructose:

a natural sugar occurring in fruits and honey; called fruit sugar; often used as a preservative for foodstuffs and an intravenous nutrient.

Galactosemia:

a hereditary disorder in which milk becomes toxic as food.

Glucose:

blood sugar; a product of the body's assimilation of carbohydrates and a major source of energy.

Glutamic Acid:

an amino acid present in all complete proteins; usually manufactured from vegetable protein; used as a salt substitute and a flavor-intensifying agent.

Glutamine:

an amino acid that constitutes, with glucose, the major nourishment used by the nervous system.

Gluten:

a mixture of two proteins--gliadin and glutenin--present in wheat, rye, oats, and barley.

Glycogen:

the body's chief storage carbohydrate, primarily in the liver.

GRAS:

Generally Recognized As Safe; a list established by Congress to cover substances added to food.

Hesperidin:

part of the C complex.

Holistic treatment:

treatment of the whole person.

Homeostasis:

the body's physiological equilibrium.

Hormone:

a substance formed in endocrine organs and transported by body fluids to activate other specifically receptive organs.

Humectant:

a substance that is used to preserve the moisture content of materials.

Hydrochloric acid:

a normally acidic part of the body's gastric juice.

Hydrolyzed:

put into water-soluble form.

Hydrolyzed protein clielate:

water-soluble and chelated for easy assimilation.

Hypervitaminosis:

a condition caused by an excessive ingestion of vitamins.

Hypoglycemia:

a condition caused by abnormally low blood sugar.

Hypovitaminosis:

a deficiency disease owing to an absence of vitamins in the diet.

Ichthyosis:

a condition characterized by a scaliness on the outer layer of skin.

Idiopathic:

a condition whose causes are not yet known.

Immune:

protected against disease.

Insulin:

the hormone, secreted by the pancreas, concerned with the metabolism of sugar in the body.

IU:

International Units.

Lactating:

producing milk.

Laxative:

a substance that stimulates evacuation of the bowels.

Linoleic acid:

one of the polyunsaturated fats, a constituent of lecithin; known as vitamin F; indispensable for life, and must be obtained from foods.

Lipid:

a fat or fatty substance.

Lipofuscin:

age pigment in cells.

Lipotropic:

preventing abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat in the liver.

Megavitamin Therapy:

treatment of illness with massive amounts of vitamins.

Metabolize:

to undergo change by physical and chemical processes.

Mucopolysaccharide:

thick gelatinous material that is found many places in the body; it glues cells together and lubricates joints.

Nitrites:

used as fixatives in cured meats; can combine with natural stomach and food chemicals to cause dangerous cancer-causing agents called nitrosamines.

Orthomolecular:

the right molecule used for the right treatment; doctors who practice preventive medicine and use vitamin therapies are known as orthomolecular physicians.

OSHA:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Oxalates:

organic chemicals found in certain foods, especially spinach, which can combine with calcium to form calcium oxalate, an insoluble chemical the body cannot use.

PABA:

para-aminobenzoic acid; a member of the B complex.

Palmitate:

water-solubilized vitamin A.

PKU (phenylketonuria):

a hereditary disease caused by the lack of an enzyme needed to convert an essential amino acid (phenylaianine) into a form usable by the body; can cause mental retardation unless detected early.

Polyunsaturatedfats:

highly nonsaturated fats from vegetable sources; tend to lower blood cholesterol.

Predigested protein:

protein that has been processed for fast assimilation and can go directly to the bloodstream.

Prostaglandins:

hormone-like substances that aid in regulation of the immune system.

Provitamin:

a vitamin precursor; a chemical substance necessary to produce a vitamin.

PUFA:

polyunsaturated fatty acid.

RDA:

Recommended Dietary Allowances as established by the Food and Nutrition Board, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council.

RNA:

the abbreviation used for ribonucleic acid.

Rose hips:

a rich source of vitamin C; the nodule underneath the bud of a rose called a hip, in which the plant produces the vitamin C we extract.

Rutin:

a substance extracted from buckwheat; part of the C complex.

Saturated fatty acid:

usually solid at room temperature; higher proportions found in foods from animal sources; tend to raise blood cholesterol levels.

Sequestrant:

a substance that absorbs ions and prevents changes that would affect flavor, texture, and color of food; used for water softening.

Syncope:

brief loss of consciousness; fainting.

Synergistic:

the action of two or more substances to produce an effect that neither alone could accomplish.

Synthetic:

produced artificially.

Systemic:

capable of spreading through the entire body.

T-Cells:

white blood cells, manufactured in the thymus, which protect the body from bacteria, viruses, and cancer causing agents, while controlling the production of B-cells, which produce antibodies, and unwanted production of potentially harmful T-cells.

Teratological:

monstrous or abnormal formations in animals or plants.

Tocopherols:

the group of compounds (alpha, beta, delta, episilon, eta, gamma, and zeta) that make vitamin E; obtained through vacuum distillation of edible vegetable oils.

Toxicity:

the quality or condition of being poisonous, harmful, or destructive.

Toxin:

an organic poison produced in living or dead organisms.

Triglycerides:

fatty substances in the blood.

Unsaturated fatty acids:

most often liquid at room temperature; primarily found in vegetable fats.

USAN:

United States Adopted Names Council; cosponsored by the American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) for the specific purpose of coining suitable, acceptable, nonpropfietary names in the drug field.

USRDA:

United States Recommended Daily Allowances.

Xerosis:

a condition of dryness.

Zein:

protein from corn.

Zyme:

a fermenting substance.

Source: Earl Mindell, Hester Mundis. Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible. (New York, NY: Warner Books) 1985.