American Academy of Pediatrics

Demonstrated effects in various biological systems that may or may not have physiological significance

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

Adequate Intake

Autoimmune thyroid disease

Potential interactions derived from studies (e.g., epidemiological) of the relationship between specific nutrients and specific diseases

Agency for Toxic Substance and Diet Registry

Accessibility of a nutrient to participate in unspecified metabolic and/or physiological processes

Body mass index: weight (kg)/height (cm)²

Coronary heart disease

Elemental symbol for chromium

Cellular retinol binding protein

Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals; a survey conducted periodically by the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Coefficient of variation: mean ÷ standard deviation

Cardiovascular disease

Deoxyribonucleic acid

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

Dietary Reference Intake

Estimated Average Requirement

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Red blood cell

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Food and Drug Administration

Elemental symbol for iron

Food and Nutrition Board

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

Pregnant

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

Human immunodeficiency virus

Hormone replacement therapy

International Atomic Energy Agency

International Agency for Research on Cancer

Indian childhood cirrhosis

International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders

Idiopathic copper toxicosis

Intramuscular

Institute of Medicine

International Programme on Chemical Safety

Insulin receptor

Iron response element

Iron response proteins

International units

Person who consumes milk (lacto), eggs (ovo), and plant foods and products, but no meat or fish

Low density lipoprotein

Low molecular weight chromium-binding substance

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

Life Sciences Research Office

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin—the amount of hemoglobin in erythrocytes (red blood cells)

Mean corpuscular volume—the volume of the average erythrocyte

Myocardial infarction

Elemental symbol for manganese

Manganese superoxide dismutase

Metal response element transcription factor

Nicotinamide adenine dinuleotide hydride; a coenzyme

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

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

National Research Council

Office of Technology Assessment

Plant form of vitamin K and a major form of this vitamin in the human diet

α-Carotene, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin

Retinoic acid receptor

Recommended Dietary Allowance

Retinol equivalents

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

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 Tolerable Upper Intake Level

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

Ribonucleic acid

ecommended Nutrient Intake

Retinoid X receptor

Standard deviation

Standard error

Standard error of the mean

Superoxide dismutase

Soluble transferrin receptor

Total Diet Study; a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration

Transferrin receptor

Thyroglobulin

Glycoprotein hormone that regulates thyroid function

Total iron binding capacity

Total parenteral nutrition

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone

Thyroid stimulating hormone, also known as thyrotropin

Uncertainty factor; number by which the NOAEL (or LOAEL) is divided to obtain the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL); the size of the UF varies depending on the confidence in the data and the nature of the adverse effect

Tolerable Upper Intake Level

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Very low density lipoprotein

World Health Organization