Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

VEGAN.A vegetarian who excludes all animal pro-

ducts from the diet, including those that can be

obtained without killing the animal. Vegans are also

known as strict vegetarians.

VEGETARIAN.A diet containing no meat, but usually

containing other animal products such as milk and eggs.

VENOUS RETURN.The blood returning to the heart

via the inferior and superior venae cavae.

VERY LOW-CALORIE DIET (VLCD).A term used by

nutritionists to classify weight-reduction diets that

allow around 800 calories or fewer a day.

VILLI.The tiny, finger-like projections on the sur-

face of the small intestine that help absorb nutrients.

VILLI INTESTINALES.Microscopic hair-like struc-

tures covered with epithelial cells measuring 1–1.5

mm that line the mucous inner membrane of the

small intestine.

VITAMIN. A nutrient that the body needs in

small amounts to remain healthy but that the body can-

not manufacture for itself and must acquire through diet.

VITAMIN B 1 (THIAMIN).A vitamin which plays an

important role in carbohydrate metabolism. A defi-

ciency can lead to a disorder called Beri Beri, which

results in a widespread nerve degeneration, which can

damage the brain, spinal cord and heart. Good

sources of this vitamin for lacto-vegetarians include

cereals, beans, potatoes and nuts.

VITAMIN B 2 (RIBOFLAVIN).A vitamin or co-enzyme,

which functions by helping the enzymes in the body

function correctly. A good source of this vitamin for

lacto-vegetarians is milk.

W

WASTING SYNDROME.A combination of weight

loss and change in composition of body tissues that

occurs in patients with HIV infection. Typically, the

patient’s body loses lean muscle tissue and replaces it

with fat as well as losing weight overall.

WATER INTOXICATION.A potentially fatal condi-

tion that occurs when an athlete loses sodium from the

body through perspiration and drinks a large quantity

of water in a short period of time without replacing the

sodium. Long-distance runners are particularly sus-

ceptible to water intoxication.

WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMIN.A vitamin that dissolves

in water and can be removed from the body in urine.

WEBCAST.The delivery of live or delayed sound or

video broadcasts using web technologies. The sound or

video is captured by conventional video or audio sys-

tems. It is then digitized and streamed on a web server.

WHEY.The watery part of milk, separated out

during the process of making cheese.

WHOLE-DIET APPROACH.The notion that the ben-

eficial effects of any dietary regimen are produced by

the diet as a whole rather than by one specific food or

other factor.

WOMEN’S HEALTH INITIATIVE (WHI).Major 15-year

research program sponsored by the National Heart,

Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National

Institutes of Health (NIH) to address the most com-

mon causes of death, disability and poor quality of

life in postmenopausal women, namely cardiovascu-

lar disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. The WHI was

launched in 1991 and consisted of a set of clinical

trials and an observational study, which together

involved 161,808 generally healthy postmenopausal

women. The study results were published in the Feb-

ruary 16, 2007 issue ofThe New England Journal of

Medicine.

Y

YOLK.The yellow spherical mass in the inner por-

tion of an egg. It contains almost all the fat and

cholesterol found in eggs.

Glossary