NUTR 1
A gram of carbohydrate yields about _ kcalories of energy
4
A gram of protien yields about _ kcalories of energy
4
A gram of fat yields about _ kcalories of energy
9
Systematic Review
A critical and integrative summary of evidence gathered from multiple selected studies to answer a specific question and develop a qualitative review.
Calories or Kcalories
A measure of heat energy. Energy provided by foods and beverages is measured in kilocalories (1000 calories equal 1 kilocalorie), abbreviated kcalories or kcal. One kcalorie is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram (kg) of water 1°C. The scientific use of the term kcalorie is the same as the popular use of the term calorie.
Joule
A measure of work energy. The amount of energy expended when 1 kilogram is moved 1 meter by a force of 1 newton.
certified nutritionists or certified nutritional consultants or certified nutrition therapists
A person who has been granted a document declaring his or her authority as a nutrition professional.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)
A person who has completed a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college, has completed approved course work and a supervised practice program, has passed a national examination, and maintains registration through continuing professional education; also called registered dietitian (RD).
Anecdote
A personal account of an experience or event; not reliable scientific information.
Peer Review
A process in which a panel of scientists rigorously evaluates a research study to ensure that the scientific method was followed. Whitney, Ellie. Understanding Nutrition (p. 13). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.
Randomization
A process of choosing the members of the experimental and control groups without bias. repeating an experiment and getting the same results. Whitney, Ellie. Understanding Nutrition (p. 13). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
A set of nutrient intake values for healthy people in the United States and Canada. These values are used for planning and assessing diets and include: • Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) • Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) • Adequate Intakes (AI) • Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL)
Theory
A tentative explanation that integrates many diverse findings to further the understanding of a defined topic.
Double-Blind Experiment
An experiment in which neither the subjects nor the researchers know which subjects are members of the experimental group and which are serving as control subjects, until after the experiment is over. To prevent such bias, the pills are coded by a third party, who does not reveal to the experimenters which subjects are in which group until all results have been recorded.
Blind Experiment
An experiment in which the subjects do not know whether they are members of the experimental group or the control group..
Placebo
An inert, harmless medication given to provide comfort and hope; a sham treatment used in controlled research studies.
Meta-Analysis
An objective and statistical summary of evidence gathered from multiple selected studies to develop a quantitative review; often derived from a systematic review.
Accredited
Approved; in the case of medical centers or universities, certified by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education.
Major Minerals
Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, and sulfate
Placebo Effect
Change that occurs in response to expectations about the effectiveness of a treatment that actually has no pharmaceutical effects.
Phytochemical
Chemical substances obtained from food and used in the body to provide energy, structural materials, and regulating agents to support growth, maintenance, and repair of the body's tissues. Nutrients may also reduce the risks of some diseases.
Nutrients
Chemical substances obtained from food and used in the body to provide energy, structural materials, and regulating agents to support growth, maintenance, and repair of the body's tissues. Nutrients may also reduce the risks of some diseases. Whitney, Ellie. Understanding Nutrition (p. 6). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.
Essential Nutrients
Chemistry, substances or molecules containing carbon-carbon bonds or carbon-hydrogen bonds that are characteristic of living organisms. The four classes of nutrients that are organic are carbohydrates, lipids (fats), proteins, and vitamins.
Diploma Mills
Entities without valid accreditation that provide worthless degrees.
Variables
Factors that change. A variable may depend on another variable (for example, a child's height depends on his age), or it may be independent (for example, a child's height does not depend on the color of her eyes). Sometimes both variables correlate with a third variable (a child's height and eye color both depend on genetics).
Experimental Group vs Control Group
Group that is tested vs compared to the experimental, receives the placebo in a drug experiment
Validity
Having the quality of being founded on fact or evidence.
Energy Storage
If the body does not use these nutrients to fuel its current activities, it converts them into storage compounds (such as body fat), to be used between meals and overnight when fresh energy supplies run low. If more energy is consumed than expended, the result is an increase in energy stores and weight gain. Similarly, if less energy is consumed than expended, the result is a decrease in energy stores and weight loss. When consumed in excess of energy needs, alcohol, too, can be converted to body fat and stored. When alcohol contributes a substantial portion of the energy in a person's diet, the harm it does far exceeds the problems of excess body fat.
Deficient
Inadequate; a nutrient amount that fails to meet the body's needs and eventually results in deficiency symptoms.
Registration
Listing; with respect to health professionals, listing with a professional organization that requires specific course work, experience, and passing of an examination. Whitney, Ellie. Understanding Nutrition (p. 28). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.
Inorganic
Not containing carbon or pertaining to living organisms. The two classes of nutrients that are inorganic are minerals and water.
Vitamins
Organic, but they do not provide energy. Instead, they facilitate the release of energy from carbohydrate, fat, and protein and participate in numerous other activities throughout the body.
Replication
Repeating an experiment and getting the same results.
Epidemiological Studies
Research the incidence, distribution, and control of diseases in a population - include cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies. Strengths: Can narrow down the list of possible causes Can raise questions to pursue through other research Whitney, Ellie. Understanding Nutrition (p. 14). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition. Weaknesses: Cannot control variables that may influence the development or the prevention of a disease Cannot prove cause and effect Whitney, Ellie. Understanding Nutrition (p. 14). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.
Human Intervention (or Clinical) Trials
Researchers ask people to adopt a new behavior (for example, eat a citrus fruit, take a vitamin C supplement, or exercise daily). These trials help determine the effectiveness of such interventions on the development or prevention of disease.
Laboratory-Based in Vitro Studies
Researchers examine the effects of a specific variable on a tissue, cell, or molecule isolated from a living organism.
Laboratory-Based Animal Studies
Researchers feed animals special diets that provide or omit specific nutrients and then observe any changes in health. Such studies test possible disease causes and treatments in a laboratory where conditions can be controlled.
Nutrition Quackery Red Flags
Satisfaction Guaranteed, One Product Does it All, Time Tested or Newfound Treatment, Paranoid Accusations, Quick and Easy Fixed, Personal Testimonials, Natural, Phony/Meaningless Medical Jargon
Organic
Substances or molecules containing carbon-carbon bonds or carbon-hydrogen bonds that are characteristic of living organisms. The four classes of nutrients that are organic are carbohydrates, lipids (fats), proteins, and vitamins.
Experimental Studies
Test cause-and-effect relationships between variables. Experimental studies include laboratory-based studies—on animals or in test tubes (in vitro)—and human intervention (or clinical) trials. Strengths: Can control conditions (for the most part) Can determine effects of a variable Can apply some findings on human beings to some groups of human beings Weaknesses: Cannot apply results from test tubes or animals to human beings Cannot generalize findings on human beings to all human beings Cannot use certain treatments for clinical or ethical reasons Whitney, Ellie. Understanding Nutrition (p. 14). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)
The average daily amount of a nutrient considered adequate to meet the known nutrient needs of practically all healthy people; a goal for dietary intake by individuals. Meets the needs of about 98% of the population.
Adequate Intake (AI)
The average daily amount of a nutrient that appears sufficient to maintain a specified criterion; a value used as a guide for nutrient intake when an RDA cannot be determined.
Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)
The average daily amount of a nutrient that will maintain a specific biochemical or physiological function in half the healthy people of a given age and gender group.
Energy
The capacity to do work. The energy in food is chemical energy. The body can convert this chemical energy to mechanical, electrical, or heat energy.
Genome
The complete set of genetic material (DNA) in an organism or a cell. The study of genomes is called genomics.
Critical Thinking
The mental activity of rationally and skillfully analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an informed conclusion based on evidence. • Understand the connections between concepts • Identify and evaluate the pros and cons of an argument • Detect inconsistencies and errors • Solve problems • Identify the relevance of information
Subject
The people or animals participating in a research project.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)
The professional organization of dietitians in the United States; formerly the American Dietetic Association.
Fraudulent
The promotion, for financial gain, of devices, treatments, services, plans, or products (including diets and supplements) that alter or claim to alter a human condition without proof of safety or effectiveness.
License to Practice
The promotion, for financial gain, of devices, treatments, services, plans, or products (including diets and supplements) that alter or claim to alter a human condition without proof of safety or effectiveness.
Misinformation
The promotion, for financial gain, of devices, treatments, services, plans, or products (including diets and supplements) that alter or claim to alter a human condition without proof of safety or effectiveness.
Public Health Dietitians
The promotion, for financial gain, of devices, treatments, services, plans, or products (including diets and supplements) that alter or claim to alter a human condition without proof of safety or effectiveness.
Nutritional Genomics
The science of how nutrients affect the activities of genes and how genes affect the interactions between diet and disease.
Determining Website Reliability
To determine whether a website offers reliable nutrition information, ask the following questions: ● Who? Who is responsible for the site? Is it staffed by qualified professionals? Look for the authors' names and credentials. Have experts reviewed the content for accuracy? ● When? When was the site last updated? Because nutrition is an ever-changing science, sites need to be dated and updated frequently. ● Where? Where is the information coming from? The three letters following the dot in a Web address identify the site's affiliation. Addresses ending in "gov" (government), "edu" (educational institute), and "org" (organization) generally provide reliable information; "com" (commercial) sites represent businesses and, depending on their qualifications and integrity, may or may not offer dependable information. ● Why? Why is the site giving you this information? Is the site providing a public service or selling a product? Many commercial sites provide accurate information, but some do not. When money is the prime motivation, be aware that the information may be biased. If you are satisfied with the answers to all of the previous questions, then ask this final question: ● What? What is the message, and is it in line with other reliable sources? Information that contradicts common knowledge should be questioned. Many reliable sites provide links to other sites to facilitate your quest for knowledge, but this provision alone does not guarantee a reputable intention. Be aware that any site can link to any other site without permission.
Sample Size
To ensure that chance variation between the two groups does not influence the results, the groups must be large. For example, if one member of a group of five catches a bad cold, he will pull the whole group's average toward bad colds; but if one member of a group of 500 catches a bad cold, she will not unduly affect the group average. Statistical methods are used to determine whether differences between groups of various sizes support a hypothesis.
Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL)
Tthe maximum daily amount of a nutrient that appears safe for most healthy people and beyond which there is an increased risk of adverse health effects.
Hypothesis
Unproven statement that tentatively explains the relationships between two or more variables.
Water-Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin C and the eight B vitamins: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, folate, biotin, and pantothenic acid
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Vitamins A, D, E, and K
How body uses energy
When the body uses carbohydrate, fat, or protein to fuel its activities, the bonds between the nutrient's atoms break. As the bonds break, they release energy. Some of this energy is released as heat, but some is used to send electrical impulses through the brain and nerves, to synthesize body compounds, and to move muscles. Thus the energy from food supports every activity from quiet thought to vigorous sports.
Dietitian
a person trained in nutrition, food science, and diet planning. See also registered dietitian nutritionist.
dietetic technician (DT), registered (DTR)
a person who has completed a minimum of an associate's degree from an accredited university or college and an approved dietetic technician program that includes a supervised practice experience. See also dietetic technician, registered. dietetic technician, registered (DTR): a dietetic technician who has passed a national examination and maintains registration through continuing professional education.
Energy-Yielding Nutrients
energy-yielding nutrients: the nutrients that break down to yield energy the body can use: carbohydrate, fat, protein
Trace Minerals
iron, iodine, zinc, chromium, selenium, fluoride, molybdenum, copper, and manganese
Minerals
put together in orderly arrays in such structures as bones and teeth. Minerals are also found in the fluids of the body, which influences fluid balance and distribution. Whatever their roles, they do not yield energy. Only 16 are known to be essential in human nutrition.
Correlation
the simultaneous increase, decrease, or change in two variables. If A increases as B increases, or if A decreases as B decreases, the correlation is positive. (This does not mean that A causes B or vice versa.) If A increases as B decreases, or if A decreases as B increases, the correlation is negative. (This does not mean that A prevents B or vice versa.) Some third factor may account for both A and B.
Parts of a Typical Research Article
• Abstract: The abstract provides a brief overview of the article. • Introduction: The introduction clearly states the purpose of the current study and provides a comprehensive review of the relevant literature. • Methodology: The methodology section defines key terms and describes the study design, subjects, and procedures used in conducting the study. • Results: The results report the findings and may include tables and figures that summarize the information. • Discussion: The discussion draws tentative conclusions that are supported by the data and reflect the original purpose as stated in the introduction. Usually, it answers a few questions and raises several more. • References: The references reflect the investigator's knowledge of the subject and should include an extensive list of relevant studies.
