Medicine & Public Health in Credo: Nutrition

Securing adequate food supplies and necessary nutrition is a global concern. The production, distribution, and consumption of food are matters that concern governments, corporations, and individuals everywhere. As a profession, study of the materials that nourish an organism and of the manner in which the separate components are used for maintenance, repair, growth, and reproduction.

A planned or prescribed selection of food and drink, especially one designed for weight loss, maintenance of good health or the control of a medical disorder. Major diet-related health problems in prosperous communities tend to be the result of too much food, whereas in underdeveloped, poor communities, it is likely to be too little.

Exercise is commonly associated with aerobic activity or sustained activity over a period of time that utilizes and strengthens the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems.

Sum of all biochemical processes involved in life. Two subcategories of metabolism are anabolism, the building up of complex organic molecules from simpler precursors, and catabolism, the breakdown of complex substances into simpler molecules, often accompanied by the release of energy.

Condition resulting from a defective diet where certain important food nutrients (such as proteins, vitamins, or carbohydrates) are absent. It can lead to deficiency diseases. A related problem is undernourishment.

A condition in which the energy stores of the body (mainly fat) are too great. It is commonplace in prosperous countries and is increasing in developing countries, particularly amongst children and young people. Obesity has been defined as a weight more than 20% above what is considered normal.

Vegetarianism, in its broadest definition, is a dietary pattern where meat, fish, and poultry are excluded.

Any of a group of organic compounds, present in the cells of all living organisms, which consist of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and are formed in green plants during photosynthesis. Chemical compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with the basic formula Cm(H2O)n, and related compounds with the same basic structure but modified functional groups.

In the broadest sense, a mixture of lipids - chiefly triglycerides (lipids containing three fatty acid molecules linked to a molecule of glycerol). Fats are essential constituents of food for many animals, with a calorific value twice that of carbohydrates.

Any of thousands of different organic compounds, characteristic of all living organisms, that have large molecules consisting of long chains of amino acids.

White, odorless, tasteless, carbohydrate powder.

Abbr. cal, unit of heat energy in the metric system.

Substance that prevents or slows the breakdown of another substance by oxygen. In the body, nutrients such as beta-carotene (a vitamin A precursor), vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium have been found to act as antioxidants.

[Lat.,=lime], (abbreviation Ca, atomic number 20) a soft, silvery-white metallic element which occurs mainly in the form of calcium carbonate minerals such as chalk, limestone and marble, and which is an important constituent of bones, teeth, milk and plant cell walls.

Metallic chemical element; symbol Fe [Lat. ferrum]; a lustrous, ductile, malleable, silver-gray metal found in Group 8 of the periodic table. Iron is biologically significant. Because iron is a component of hemoglobin, a red oxygen-carrying pigment of the red blood cells of vertebrates, iron compounds are important in nutrition; one cause of anemia is iron deficiency.

(symbol Mg, atomic number 12) a reactive silvery-grey metallic element that burns with a dazzling white flame, used in fireworks and in strong light alloys for aircraft components, etc. It is also an essential trace element in plants and animals.

Inorganic substance occurring in nature, having a characteristic and homogeneous chemical composition, definite physical properties, and, usually, a definite crystalline form.

(symbol K, atomic number 19) a soft silvery-white metallic element, compounds of which are used in fertilizers, explosives, laboratory reagents, soaps and some types of glass.

Any salt in which the positive ion (onium ion) is formed by the attachment of a proton to a neutral compound, as in ammonium, oxonium, and sulphonium compounds.

(symbol Na, atomic number 11) a soft silvery-white metallic element used in alloys, as a reducing agent in chemical reactions, as a coolant in nuclear reactors, and in non-glare lighting, eg in street lamps, and also widely used in the form of its compounds, especially sodium chloride, in the chemical industry.

Group of organic substances that are required in the diet of humans and animals for normal growth, maintenance of life, and normal reproduction function. Only the B complex and vitamin C are water-soluble and hence are excreted, requiring regular replacement.

(symbol Zn, atomic number 30) a brittle, lustrous bluish-white metallic element used in dry batteries and various alloys, and as a corrosion-resistant coating to galvanize steel.

Any of a number of physiologically active and frequently poisonous substances contained in some plants and fungi.

Synthetic sugar used as an ingredient in low-calorie food and drinks, or as an additive to tea, coffee, etc., for people who are dieting or diabetic. Artificial sweeteners are heavily used in the United States, particularly by women.

Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. It exists naturally in plants and can also be produced synthetically and added to foods and beverages.

Gluten is a mixture of prolamin storage proteins present in the wheat grain, and also in those of rye, triticale, barley, and oats.

Any salt in which the positive ion (onium ion) is formed by the attachment of a proton to a neutral compound, as in ammonium, oxonium, and sulphonium compounds.

Sweet, soluble, crystalline carbohydrate found in the pith of sugar cane and in sugar beet.

Chemical compound of hydrogen and oxygen elements - H2O. It can exist as a solid (ice), liquid (water), or gas (water vapour).