Question | Answer |
nutrition | the science of how living organisms obtain and use food to support processes required for life |
nutritional scientist | a person who conducts and/or evaluates nutrition-related research |
dietitian | a nutritionist who helps people make healthy dietary choices |
nutritional sciences | a broad spectrum of academic and social disciplines related to nutrition |
nutrient | a substance in foods used by the body for nrg, maintenance of body structures, or regulation of chemical processes |
essential nutrient | a substance that must be obtained from the diet, because the body needs it and cannot make it in required amounts |
nonessential nutrient | a substance found in food and used by the body to promote health but not required to be consumed in the diet |
conditionally essential nutrient | normally nonessential nutrient that, under certain circumstances, becomes essential |
macronutrient | nutrients that we need to consume in large amounts(more than 1 gram) |
micronutrient | nutrients that we need to consume in small amounts (less than 1 gram) |
organic compound | a substance that contains c-c bonds and c-h bonds |
inorganic compound | a substance that does not contain c-c bonds and c-h bonds |
certified organic foods | plant and animal foods that have been grown, harvested, and processed w/o conventional pesticides, fertilizers, growth promoters, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation |
phytochemical | a substance found in plants and thought to benefit human health above and beyond the provision of essential nutrients and nrg |
zoonutrient | a substance found in animal foods and though to benefit human health above and beyond the provision of essential nutrients and nrg |
functional food | a food that contains enhanced levels of an essential nutrient, phytochemical, or zoonutrient and thought to benefit human health |
nrg | capacity to do work |
ATP | a chemical used by body to perform work |
nrg-yielding nutrient | a nutrient that the body can use to produce ATP |
calorie | a unit of measure used to express the amount of nrg in a food |
kilocalorie | 1,000 calories |
bomb calorimeter | a device used to measure the amount of nrg in a food |
scientific method | steps used by scientists to explain observations |
hypothesis | a prediction about the relationship between variables |
cause-and-effect relationship | when an alteration in one variable causes a change in another variable |
correlation | when a change in onevariable is related to a change in another variable |
positive correlation | association between the changes of two variables are similar |
negative correlation | association between the changes of two variables are in the opposite direction |
simple relationship | a relationship between 2 factors that is not influenced or modified by another factor |
complex relationship | a relationship that involves one or more interactions |
interaction | when the relationship between the two factors is influenced or modified by another factor |
lifestyle factor | behavioral component of our lives over which we may or may not have control |
environmental factor | an element or variable in our surroundungs over which we may or may not have control |
genetic factor | an inherited element or variable in our lives that cannot be altered |
epidemiologic study | a study in which data are collected from a group of individuals who are not asked to change their behaviors in any way |
Framingham Heart Study | a large epidemiologic study begun in the 1940's designed to assess the relationship between lifestyle factors and risk for heart disease |
National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey(NHANES) | a federally funded epidemiologic study begun in the 1970's to assess trends in diet and health in the U.S. population |
National Center for Health Statistics(NCHS) | a component of the U.S. Public Health Service whose mission is to compile statistical info to be used in improving the health of Americans |
intervention study | an experiment in which something is altered or changes ti determine its effect on something else |
control group | a group of people, animals, or cells in an intervention study that does not receive the experimental treatment |
Hawthorne effect | phenomenon in which study results are influenced by an unintentional alteration of a behavior by the study participants |
placebo effect | the phenomenon in which there is an apparent effect of the treatment because the individual expects or believes that it will work |
researcher bias | when the researcher influences that results of a study |
single-blind study | a human experiment in which the participants do not know to which group they have been assigned |
dbl-blind study | a human experiment in which neither the participants nor the scientists know to which group the participants have been assigned |
placebo | a "fake" treatment, given to the control group, that cannot be distinguished from the actual treatment |
random assignment | when study participants have equal chance of being assigned to each experimental group |
confounding variable | a factor, other than the one of interest, that might influence the outcome of an experiment |
animal study | the use of experimental animals such as mice, rats, or primates in a study |
cell culture system | specific type of cells that can be grown in the lab and used for research purposes |
in vitro | involving the use of cells or environments that are not part of a living organism |
in vivo | involving the study of natural phenomena in a living organism |
PubMed | a computerized database that allows access to approximately 11 million biomedical journal citations |
U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention(CDC) | a governmental agency that monitors the nation's health in order to prevent and control disease outbreaks |
rate | a measure of the occurrence of a certain type of event within a specific period of time |
mortality rate | the number of deaths in a given period of time |
infant mortality rate | the number of infant deaths (<1 year of age) per 1,000 live births in a given year |
morbidity rate | the number of illnesses in a given period of time |
incidence | the number of people who are newly diagnosed with a condition in a given period of time |
prevalence | the total number of people who have a condition in a given period of time |
life expectancy | a statistical prediction of the average number of years of life remaining to a person at a specific age |
graying of America | the phenomenon occurring in the U.S. in which the proportion of elderly individuals in the population is increasing with time |
disease | a condition that causes physiological or psychological discomfort, dysfunction, or distress |
infectious disease | a contagious illness caused by a pathogen such as a bacteria, virus, or parasite |
noninfectious disease | an illness that is not contagious |
etiology | the cause or origin of a disease |
autoimmune disease | a condition in which the immune system attacks an otherwise healthy part of the body |
chronic degenerative disease | a noninfectious disease that develops slowly and persists over time |
risk factor | a lifestyle, environmental, or genetic factor related to a person's chances of developing a disease |
nutrition transition | the shift from undernutrition to overnutrition or unbalanced nutrition that often occurs simultaneously with the industrialization of a society |