Health Sciences

Items

• Exercise

  Physical activity carried out to improve health and fitness.
• Fasting glucose test

  A blood test done after at least 8 hours without eating.
• Fibre

  Dietary material resistant to digestive enzymes.
• Gestational diabetes

  High blood sugar that develops during pregnancy.
• Glucagon

  Hormone that stimulates release of glucose into blood.
• Glycemic Index

  Ranking of foods according to effect on blood glucose.
• Glycemic Load

  Mathematical expression of GI and carbohydrate content.
• High fructose corn syrup

  Commercial sweetener used in many foods.
• High Glycemic Index

  Foods scoring above 70 on GI scale.
• Hyperglycemia

  High blood glucose.
• Hypoglycemia

  Abnormally low blood glucose.
• Insoluble fiber

  Fibre that does not dissolve in water.
• Insulin

  Hormone secreted by the pancreas.
• Insulin resistance

  Reduced response of body cells to insulin.
• Invert sugar

  Mixture of glucose and fructose.
• Kidney failure

  Condition in which kidneys stop functioning.
• Low GI

  Foods scoring under 55.
• Medium GI

  Foods scoring 55–70.
• Molasses

  Thick brown syrup left from sugar refining.
• Naturally-occurring sugars

  Sugars naturally present in foods.
• Non-nutritive sweetener

  Sugar substitutes with little or no energy.
• Pancreas

  Gland behind the stomach producing enzymes and hormones.
• Prediabetes

  Higher-than-normal blood glucose not yet diabetes.
• Soluble fiber

  Fibre that dissolves in water.
• Sugar alcohols

  Sugar substitutes absorbed more slowly than sugars.