ACE

Angiotensin converting enzyme

Adverse effect

Any significant alteration in the structure or function of the human organism, or any impairment of a physiologically important function, that could lead to an adverse health effect

AI

Adequate Intake; a category of Dietary Reference Intakes; an amount of a nutrient that is a recommended intake for a life stage or gender group for which it is established and is based on experimentally derived intake levels or approximations of observed mean nutrient intakes by a group (or groups) of healthy people

ANP

Atrial natriuretic peptide

ARB

Angiotensin II receptor blocker

BIA

Bioelectric impedance analysis

CDC

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

CF

Cystic fibrosis

CFTR

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulatory gene

CHD

Coronary heart disease

CID

Cold-induced diuresis

CSFII

Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals; a survey conducted periodically by the Agri-

cultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

CVD

Cardiovascular disease; includes heart disease and stroke

DASH Diet

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension; a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and reduced in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol

DASH-Sodium Trial

A clinical trial that tested the effects on blood pressure of three different sodium levels in two distinct diets

DASH Trial

A clinical trial that tested the effects of different dietary patterns on blood pressure

Dehydration

The process of decreasing total body water; lower than normal total body water (euhydration) (see hypohydration)

DEXA

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry

Dose-response assessment

Second step in a risk assessment in which the relationship between nutrient intake and an adverse effect (in terms of incidence or severity of the effect) is determined

DRI

Dietary Reference Intakes

EAR

Estimated Average Requirement; a category of Dietary Reference Intakes; an amount of a nutrient that is estimated to meet the requirement, as defined by the specified indicator or criterion of adequacy, of half of the apparently healthy individuals in the life stage or gender group for which it is established

ECF

Extracellular fluid

ECG

Electrocardiogram

EPA

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Euhydration

Normal hydration

FDA

Food and Drug Administration; an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

FFM

Fat-free mass

FNB

Food and Nutrition Board; a division of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

Function

Role played by a nutrient in growth, development, and maturation

GFR

Glomerular filtration rate

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

Health Canada

The federal department in Canada responsible for maintaining and improving the health of Canadian people

HDL

High-density lipoprotein

Hyperhydration

Higher than normal total body water (euhydration)

Hyperkalemia

Serum potassium concentration > 5.0 mEq/L or mmol/L

Hypernatremia

Serum sodium concentration > 145 mEq/L or mmol/L

Hypertension

Systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mm Hg

Hypohydration

Lower than normal total body water (euhydration) (see dehydration)

Hypokalemia

Serum potassium concentration < 3.5 mEq/L or mmol/L

Hyponatremia

Serum sodium concentration < 135 mEq/L or mmol/L

ICF

Intracellular fluid

IOM

Institute of Medicine

LDL

Low-density lipoprotein

LOAEL

Lowest-observed-adverse-effect level; the lowest intake (or experimental dose) of a nutrient at which an adverse effect has been identified

MAP

Mean arterial pressure; diastolic pressure times 2 plus systolic pressure over 3; the average pressure during a cardiac cycle

MCL

Maximum contaminant level; a level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for environmental contaminants

MVP

Mitrial valve prolapse

NFCS

Nationwide Food Consumption Survey; a food consumption survey conducted through 1965 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture

NHANES

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; a survey conducted periodically by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

NOAEL

No-observed-adverse-effect level; the highest intake (or experimental dose) of a nutrient at which no adverse effect has been observed

NRC

National Research Council

PAPS

3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate

Psychogenic polydipsia

The excessive consumption of fluid, especially water, among chronic psychiatric patients, particularly those with schizophrenia

RDA

Recommended Dietary Allowance; a category of Dietary Reference Intakes; an amount of a nutrient that is the recommended average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the requirement of nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals in the particular life stage and gender group for which it is established; it is derived from the Estimated Average Requirement

Rhabdomyolysis

Injury to skeletal muscle tissue that results in the destruction of skeletal muscle cells and allows for the escape of cellular contents into the extracellular fluid, leading to renal failure and compartment syndromes

Risk assessment

The organized framework for evaluating scientific information that 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

The final step in a risk assessment, which summarizes the conclusions from steps 1 through 3 of the assessment (hazard identification, dose

response, and estimate of exposure) and evaluates the risk; this step also includes a characterization of the degree of scientific confidence that can be placed in the Tolerable Upper Intake Level

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, it 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

Salt sensitivity

The extent of blood pressure change in response to a reduction in salt intake; the term “salt-sensitive blood pressure” applies to those individuals or subgroups who experience the greatest reduction in blood pressure from a given reduction in salt intake

SD

Standard deviation

SE

Standard error

SEM

Standard error of the mean

SHRSP

Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive (in-bred strain of rats)

TBW

Total body water

TOHPII

Trials of Hypertension Prevention-Phase II: a clinical trial that tested the effects of sodium reduction and weight loss, alone or combined, as a means to prevent hypertension

Total water

Includes drinking water, water in beverages, and water that is part of food

UF

Uncertainty factor; the number by which the NOAEL (or LOAEL) is divided to obtain the Tolerable Upper Intake Level; 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; a category of Dietary Reference Intakes; the amount of a nutrient that is the highest level of daily intake likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects for al-

most all apparently healthy individuals in the specified life stage group for which it is established

USDA

U.S. Department of Agriculture

WBGT

Wet bulb globe temperature

WHO

World Health Organization