Consumer Glossary Part One:
Terms 1 - 25
We have compiled an A-Z reference glossary of some of the most common 'buzz words' that appear to be doing the rounds these days. Part one includes the first 25 terms, where you can easily, alphabetically access the acronyms and unknown words found in everyday products and in the 'lifestyle' pages, providing you with information to confidently make the right choices for your health and your lifestyle.
* Please take note that many conflicting views abound with regards to many of the terms researched, especially where food additives are concerned. As research is ongoing and longterm, we have tried to provide as objective an understanding as possible on all counts, with the intent to broaden your understanding of the various terms, as opposed to definitively ‘labelling’ an item as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. The bottom line always remains that moderation in everything is key, and that a balance for each individual should be strived for. It will also become apparent on viewing these terms that naturally grown, fresh produce over processed goods is always the better option for the greater part. Fact or hype, having access to information will help you make your own informed decisions on what you wish to include and what you would prefer to omit as part of a lifestyle choice that suits you as an individual.
1. Acesulfame-K (E950): An artificial sweetener used in place of table sugar due to its non-caloric characteristics. It is not metabolized by the body and therefore does not contribute to calories and contains no carbohydrates. Acesulfame K stimulates insulin secretion in a dose dependent fashion thereby possibly aggravating reactive hypoglycemia ("low blood sugar attacks"). It apparently produced lung tumors, breast tumors, rare types of tumors of other organs (such as the thymus gland), several forms of leukemia and chronic respiratory disease in several rodent studies, even when less than maximum doses were given. Further research is being conducted to ascertain it’s safety, however it has been FDA approved at an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of up to 15 mg/kg of body weight/day.
2. Amino Acids: The chemical units or "building blocks" of the body that make up proteins. Protein substances make up the muscles, tendons, organs, glands, nails, and hair. Growth, repair and maintenance of all cells are dependent upon them. Next to water, protein makes up the greatest portion of our body weight building. An essential amino acid or indispensable amino acid is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized de novo by the organism (usually referring to humans), and therefore must be supplied in the diet.
3. Anti-Oxidants: A substance that can protect another substance from oxidation. Millions of processes occur in the body everyday. Those that use up oxygen (oxidation) release unstable ‘free radicals’ or oxidants into the system which cause cellular damage, leading to illness. Anti-oxidants attach themselves to free radicals, making them stable molecules, which reduces their destructive power. Anti-oxidants can also help repair damage caused. Vitamin E is the body’s most abundant fat-soluble anti-oxidant, while vitamin C is the body’s most abundant water-soluble anti-oxidant. Fruits and vegetables with strong, bright colours generally have a high anti-oxidant concentration. Açai, Goji Berry and Pomegranate are the latest trends in potent anti-oxidants.
4. Aspartame (E951): A non-saccharid, artificial sweetner made from aspartic acid,used as a calorie-free sweetener and surrounded by controversy due to reported health risks. It can be found in products like carbonated soft drinks, puddings, frozen desserts, yoghurt, chewing gum and certain chewable vitamins. A wide range of symptoms have been reported to be linked to aspartame ingestion, including depression, indigestion, headaches, tumours, Alzheimers Disease, Parkinsons Disease and Multiple Sclerosis, but are not supported by the facts. Aspartame has been recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA, by the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food (SCF), the World Health Organization and the South African Department of Health.
5. BHA / BHT (butylated hydroxyanisole / butylated hydroxytoluene): Chemicals that are added to oil-containing foods (like potato crisps, dry breakfast cereals, foods containing animal fats) to prevent oxidation and retard rancidity. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, consider BHA to be possibly carcinogenic to humans, and the State of California has listed it as a carcinogen. Some studies show the same cancer causing possibilities for BHT, although both are FDA approved.
6. BMI (Body Mass Index): A statistical measure which compares an individual’s height and weight, and is used to estimate a healthy body weight for that individual. Mass (kg) is divided by height (m) to get a value between 16,5 (severely underweight) to 40 (obese class III).
7. BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): The amount of energy intake (minimal calorific requirement) the body needs to maintain normal function at rest. BMR is the largest factor in determining overall metabolic rate, and how many calories you need everyday to maintain, lose or gain weight. BMR is determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors and decreases with age.
8. Bioflavanoids: Bioflavonoids are not actually vitamins, although they are sometimes referred to as vitamin P. They are complex compounds closely associated with vitamin C and found in a wide range of plants, particularly citrus fruits. They aid the absorption of vitamin C and prolong its function. No dosage of bioflavonoids has been determined but 500 mg per day is indicated for supplementation.Bioflavonoids together with Vitamin C, maintain the health of the thin walls of the small blood vessels known as capillaries, preventing bruising and bleeding, including excessive menstrual loss. Together, they are also anti-viral and anti-inflammatory, and inhibit histamine release. They also act as antioxidants and aid the body in iron absorption.
9. Calorie: Unit of measurement for energy. One calorie is formally defined as the amount of energy required to raise one cubic centimeter of water by one degree Centigrade. One kcal (1000 gram calories) is equivalent to approximately 4.184 kilojoules.
10. Carob: A substance derived from Ceratonia siliqua, a Mediterranean evergreen, it is used to add dark coloring to a capsule or softgel to protect the contents from light and is also used as a source for a chocolate substitute.
11. Catechin: A class of powerful, water soluble anti-oxidants that are easily oxidized in the body. Eg: EGCG in green tea.
12. Cholesterol: The most common type of steroid in the body, mainly synthesized by the liver and also found in foods of animal origin. It is a critically important molecule, essential in the formation of bile salts (which aid in the digestion of fats), vitamin D, progesterone, estrogens, androgens, mineralocorticoid hormones and glucocorticoid hormones (cortisol). Lipoproteins enable lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides to be transported within the water-based bloodstream. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) deliver cholesterol to the body, while high-density lipoproteins (HDL) take cholesterol out of the bloodstream.
* LDL: Low-density lipoproteins ("bad" cholesterol”) transport cholesterol through the bloodstream. Cholesterol not taken up by the cells continues to circulate on LDL’s in the blood and may be deposited on the lining of the arteries forming a plaque. This may cause arteriosclerosis (hardening and thickening of artery walls) and increases the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases.
* HDL: High-density lipoproteins (”good cholesterol”) transport cholesterol from the tissues of the body to the liver so it can be excreted (in the bile). HDL’s can lower the LDL level in the bloodstream, and can also remove some cholesterol already attached to artery walls, thus lowering the risk of heart attack and coronary artery disease. HDL’s are found in monounstaurated and polyunsaturated fats, in foods like nuts and fish.
13. Daily Value (DV): A term on food labels based on the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) designed to help consumers use food label information to plan a healthy diet. It is the FDA's recommended daily consumption level based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, and serves as a basis for declaring on the label the percent of the DV for each nutrient that a serving of the food provides.
14. E Numbers: An ‘E number’ shows that a food additive has been safety tested according to the rules set out by the European Commission and has been approved for use in foods. Eg: vitamin E (E307), tartrazine (E102) and sunset yellow (E110).
15. Enriched Foods: A food in which vitamins and minerals were lost during the production or in the refining process, and have been added back into the final product. For example, bread is enriched with B vitamins that are lost in the processing of white flour.
16. Enzyme: A protein (or protein-based molecule) that acts as a catalyst for specific chemical reactions, converting a specific set of reactants (called substrates) into specific products, in living organisms. Enzymes help speed up biological reactions, but are not consumed or destroyed in the reaction. Our bodies naturally produce two types of enzymes, digestive and metabolic enzymes as they are needed, while food enzymes can only be consumed orally. As an example, human digestive enzymes include ptyalin, pepsin, trypsin, lipase, protease, and amylase.
17. Excitotoxin: Chemicals, usually acidic amino acids, that that bind to certain brain receptors (e.g., certain glutamate receptors) and stimulate brain cells to death on a selective basis. They cause brain damage by exciting neurons to such a degree that various neurological malfunctions develop. MSG, aspartate and cysteine are the most common excitotoxins found in everyday processed foods. MSG is an amino acid commonly used by the brain as a neurotransmitter. Because glutamate exists only in a very small concentration, no more that 8 to 12 uM, such that when it exceeds this amount, the neurons begin to fire abnormally to exhaustion until death. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to brain damage from excitotoxins, but adults often experience times when the brain's defenses are down, too. Disorders can include headaches, seizures, hypoglycemia, strokes, tumors, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's dementia, Huntington's disease, and Lou Gehrig's disease. In all these diseases, neuron's that use glutamate for a transmitter are slowly destroyed. While there is no definite proof that food borne excitotoxins “cause” these diseases, there is an increasing amount of evidence that they do aggravate a person's existing propensity to manifest one of these neurological conditions.
18. Flavonoid: Brightly coloured plant pigments and potent antioxidants produced by plants to protect themselves from bacteria, parasites, and cell damage. They are found in most fresh vegetables and fruits, seeds, nuts, spices, flowers, wine (especially red wine) and tea.
19. Fortified Foods: Foods that have had nutrients added to them that are beyond what the foods originally contained. Low-fat and non-fat milk are often fortified with vitamin A. Fortified foods are more common than enriched foods and include calcium fortified orange juice and iodine fortified salt. Cereals and fruit juices are often fortified with vitamins and minerals, but unfortunately, they are often loaded with sugar as well.
20. Free Radicals: An atom or group of atoms containing at least one unpaired electron, making them highly chemically reactive, unstable and capable of causing oxidative damage to the body's cells. They form in heated fats and oils, and exposure to radiation and pollutants, among other things. These highly-reactive atoms or molecules can cause cellular damage, impair the immune system, cause premature aging of the skin and lead to degenerative diseases.
21. Free Range: A term used to describe the rearing of poultry and livestock, where they have access to an outdoor run and are kept in less cramped conditions than factory farmed animals. This however, does not guarantee humane treatment of these animals, and many consumers are mislead into believing that free range means ‘naturally’ or ‘pasture” bred. Chickens, for example, may still be de-beaked, and allowed a total of five minutes a day to run free outside. It also does not exclude the fact that stock may be treated with veterinary medication, and the final products may contain additives. In South Africa, legally there are no regulations governing standards for products labelled ‘free range’ yet, with various current agricultural directives still being processed. The only current regulation available for the term ‘free range’ is one for poultry eggs, taken from the AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT STANDARDS
ACT, (ACT No. 119 OF 1990) as published in the Government Gazette :
(2) (a) Eggs shall only be marked with the expression "free range" or "vryloop", if such eggs were obtained from poultry that had continuous daytime access to open air runs.
(b) The open air runs referred to in paragraph (a) shall --
(i) be mainly covered with vegetation where poultry is able to scratch and dustbath; and
(ii) be big enough to allow ample running space.
Drafting of the new legislation is currently underway. For more information:
www.participation.org.za/docs/organic.doc
Some large retailers have their own standards which their suppliers have to conform to. The criteria is good in most cases, based on European or US standards, but a major concern is that only 5% of suppliers are audited on an annual basis, therefore reassurance of standards is at best, barely existent.
22. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s): Scientists modify and manipulate plants and animals genetically, to take desirable qualities in one organism (such as better resistance to disease or increased yield) and apply them to another. Soybean and corn are typical GMO’s. Opponents of this practice term GMO-derived foods as “Frankenfoods,” and complain that tampering with genetic structure could produce new toxins and allergens, create herbicide-resistant weeds, spread disease across species and eventually wipe out natural plants and animals. The European Union has banned GMO’s.
23. Gluten: A mixture of two proteins - gliadin and glutenin, present in wheat, rye, oats, and barley. This protein substance remains when starch is removed from cereal grains, and gives elasticity and cohesiveness to dough. Gluten also has an absorbent quality, which is why bread is capable of soaking up broth. Gluten allergy and intolerance appears to be on the rise in many individuals, who opt for a gluten-free diet to avoid sensitive reactions.
24. Glycemic Index (GI): Also called the dietary glycemic index. An indicator of the ability of different types of foods that contain carbohydrates to raise the blood glucose levels within 2 hours. Foods containing carbohydrates that break down most quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic index. Low GI carbohydrates slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream and keep your energy levels balanced, and keep you feeling fuller for longer between meals. For a more in-depth look at high and low GI's, visit www.glycemicindex.com.
25. GRAS: An acronym for the phrase Generally Recognized As Safe. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act)in the USA, any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive, that is subject to premarket review and approval by FDA, unless the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excluded from the definition of a food additive. By and large, we rely on American and European standards in terms of safety and research as the South African standards and consumer acts are still being drafted with regards to many additives and product ingredients.
Part two will be published shortly. Please visit our articles section again soon to update your knowledge.
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