H
Glossary and Acronyms
AAP
American Academy of Pediatrics
ACE
Angiotensin-converting enzyme
Action
Demonstrated effects in various biological systems that may or may not have physiological significance
ADD
Attention deficit disorder
AGE
Advanced glycosylation end product
AI
Adequate Intake
AMD
Age-related macular degeneration
APTT
Activated partial thromboplastin times
Association
Potential interactions derived from epidemiological studies of the relationship between specific nutrients and chronic disease
ATBC
Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene (Cancer Prevention Study)
AUC
Area under the curve
AVED
Ataxia and vitamin E deficiency
Bioavailability
Accessibility of a nutrient to participate in unspecified metabolic and/or physiological processes
BMI
Body mass index
CARET
Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial
Carotenodermia
Yellow discoloration of the skin with elevated plasma carotene concentrations
α-CEHC
2,5,7,8-tetramethyl-2-(2′-carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxychroman
γ-CEHC
2,7,8-trimethyl-2-(2′-carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxychroman
CHAOS
Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study
CHD
Coronary heart disease
CLAS
Cholesterol Lowering Atherosclerosis Study
CSFII
Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals—a survey conducted by the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
CV
Coefficient of variation: mean ÷ standard deviation
DDS
Delayed dermal sensitivity
DHA
Dehydroascorbic acid
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Dose-response assessment
Second step in a risk assessment, in which the relationship between nutrient intake and adverse effect (in terms of incidence or severity of the effect) is determined
DRI
Dietary Reference Intake
DTH
Delayed-type hypersensitivity
EAR
Estimated Average Requirement
F2-isoprostane
Indicator of oxidative lipid damage and free-radical generation
FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Fore milk
Human milk collected at the beginning of an infant feeding
FOX
Ferrous oxidation/xylenol orange
FNB
Food and Nutrition Board
FT3
Free triiodothyronine
Function
Role played by a nutrient in growth, development and maturation
GSH
Reduced glutathione
GSHPx
Selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidases
GSSG
Oxidized glutathione
Gun blue
Lubricant solution containing selenious acid, nitric acid, and copper nitrate
H2O2
Hydrogen peroxide
Hazard identification
First step in a risk assessment, which is concerned with the collection, organization, and evaluation of all information pertaining to the toxic properties of a nutrient
HDL
High-density lipoprotein
Hind milk
Human milk collected at the end of an infant feeding
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
HOCl
Hypochlorous acid
HOPE
Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation
HPLC
High-performance liquid chromatography
IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency
ICAM-1
Intracellular cell adhesion molecule
IOM
Institute of Medicine
Kashin-Beck disease
Human cartilage disease found in some of the low-selenium intake areas in Asia
Keshan disease
Human cardiomyopathy that occurs only in selenium-deficient children
LDL
Low-density lipoprotein
LOAEL
Lowest-observed-adverse-effect level—lowest intake (or experimental dose) of a nutrient at which an adverse effect has been identified
LPL
Lipoprotein lipase
Lycopenodermia
Deep orange discoloration of the skin resulting from high intakes of lycopene-rich food
MHC
Major histocompatibility complex
MONICA Project
Monitoring Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease Project
MPOD
Macular pigment optical density
MUFA
Monounsaturated fatty acid
NADH
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
NADPH
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate
NEC
Necrotizing enterocolitis
NHANES
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey—survey conducted periodically by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
NHIS
National Health Interview Survey
NO
Nitric oxide
NOAEL
No-observed-adverse-effect level—highest intake (or experimental dose) of a nutrient at which no adverse effect has been observed
NRC
National Research Council
ORAC
Oxygen radical absorbance capacity
Oxidative stress
Imbalance between the production of various reactive species and the ability of the organism's natural protective mechanisms to cope with these reactive compounds and prevent adverse effects
OxLDL
Oxidized low-density lipoprotein
8-OxodG
8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine—a product of oxidative DNA damage
PHS
Physicians' Health Study
Provitamin A carotenoids
α-Carotene, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin
PUFA
Polyunsaturated fatty acid
RBC
Red blood cell
RDA
Recommended Dietary Allowance
Risk assessment
Organized framework for evaluating scientific information, which has as its objective a characterization of the nature and likelihood of harm resulting from excess human exposure to an environmental agent (in this case, a nutrient); it includes the development of both qualitative and quantitative expressions of risk
Risk characterization
Final step in a risk assessment, which summarizes the conclusions from steps 1 through 3 of the risk assessment (hazard identification, dose-response, and estimates of exposure) and evaluates the risk; this step also includes a characterization of the degree of scientific confidence that can be placed in the UL
Risk management
Process by which risk assessment results are integrated with other information to make decisions about the need for, method of, and extent of risk reduction; in addition, risk management considers such issues as the public health significance of the risk, the technical feasibility of achieving various degrees of risk control, and the economic and social costs of this control
RNA
Ribonucleic acid
RNI
Recommended Nutrient Intake
RNS
Reactive nitrogen species
ROS
Reactive oxygen species
SD
Standard deviation
SE
Standard error
Selenite and selenate
Inorganic selenium, the forms found in many dietary supplements
Selenomethionine and selenocysteine
Major dietary forms of selenium
Selenosis
Selenium toxicity characterized by hair loss and nail sloughing
SEM
Standard error of the mean
SOD
Superoxide dismutase
TBARS
Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, a nonspecific measure of lipid peroxidation
TD
Tardive dyskinesia
α-TE
α-Tocopherol equivalent
TEAC
Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity
α-Tocopherol
The only form of vitamin E that is maintained in human plasma and thus it is the only form utilized to estimate the vitamin E requirement.
TRAP
Total radical-trapping antioxidant capability
α-TTP
α-Tocopherol transfer protein
UF
Uncertainty factor—number by which the NOAEL (or LOAEL) is divided to obtain the UL; the size of the UF varies depending on the confidence in the data and the nature of the adverse effect
UL
Tolerable Upper Intake Level
USDA
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USP
U.S. Pharmacopeia
VCAM-1
Vascular cell adhesion molecule
Vitamin E
The 2R-stereoisomeric forms of α-tocopherol (RRR-, RSR-, RRS-, and RSS-α-tocopherol)
VLDL
Very low density lipoproteins
WHO
World Health Organization