P
Glossary and Abbreviations
ACC
Acetyl-CoA carboxylase
ADP
Adenosine diphosphate
AI
Adequate Intake
ALT
Alanine aminotransferase
apABG
Acetamidobenzoylglutamate
ATP
Adenosine triphosphate
Bioavailability
The accessibility of a nutrient to participate in metabolic and/or physiological processes.
BMI
Body mass index; weight/height2 (kg/m2)
CHD
Coronary heart disease
CI
Confidence interval
CoA
Coenzyme A
CSFII
Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, a survey conducted by the Agricultural Research Service, USDA
CV
Coefficient of variation
DFE
Dietary folate equivalent
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Dose-response assessment
The step in a risk assessment in which the relationship between nutrient intake and adverse effect (in terms of incidence and/or severity of the effect) is determined.
DRI
Dietary Reference Intake
α-EALT
Erythrocyte alanine aminotransferase
EAR
Estimated Average Requirement
α-EAST
Erythrocyte aspartate aminotransferase
EEG
Electroencephalogram
EGR
Erythrocyte glutathione reductase
EGRAC
Erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient
ETK
Erythrocyte transketolase
ETKAC
Erythrocyte transketolase activity coefficient
FAD
Flavin-adenine dinucleotide
FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FIGLU
Formiminoglutamic acid
FMN
Flavin mononucleotide
FNB
Food and Nutrition Board
Hazard identification
The 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.
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
HPLC
High-performance liquid chromatography
HPV
Human papilloma virus
IM
Intramuscular
IOM
Institute of Medicine
LCAT
Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase
LOAEL
Lowest-observed-adverse-effect level; the lowest intake (or experimental dose) of a nutrient at which an adverse effect has been identified.
MCV
Mean cell volume
MI
Myocardial infarction
MMA
Methylmalonic acid
MTHFR
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase
NAD
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
NADP
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate
NAS
National Academy of Sciences
NE
Niacin equivalent
NHANES
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a survey conducted periodically by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NHIS
National Health Interview Survey, a survey conducted periodically by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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, the organizational arm of the National Academies
NTD
Neural tube defect
4-PA
4-Pyridoxic acid
pABG
p-Aminobenzoylglutamate
PARP
Poly-ADP-ribose polymerase
PGA
Pteroylglutamic acid
PL
Pyridoxal
PLP
Pyridoxal phosphate
PM
Pyridoxamine
PMP
Pyridoxamine phosphate
PN
Pyridoxine
PNP
Pyridoxine phosphate
RDA
Recommended Dietary Allowance
Risk
Within the context of nutrient toxicity, the probability or likelihood that some adverse effect will result from a specified excess intake of a nutrient.
Risk assessment
An 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 dietary nutrient). It includes the development of both qualitative and quantitative expressions of risk. The process of risk assessment can be divided into four major steps: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization.
Risk characterization
The final step in a risk assessment, which summarizes the conclusions from the other three steps of the risk assessment and evaluates the risk. This step also includes a characterization of the degree of scientific confidence that can be placed in the UL.
Risk management
The 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 to risk assessment results, risk management considers such issues as the public health significance of the risk, technical feasibility of achieving various degrees of risk control, and economic and social costs of this control.
SD
Standard deviation
SE
Standard error
SEM
Standard error of the mean
TCI, II, III
Transcobalamin I, II, and III
TMA
Trimethylamine
TPN
Total parenteral nutrition
TPP
Thiamin pyrophosphate
UL
Tolerable Upper Intake Level
UF
Uncertainty factor; a number by which the NOAEL (or LOAEL) is divided to obtain the UL. UFs are used in risk assessments to deal with gaps in data (e.g., data uncertainties) and knowledge (e.g., model uncertainties). The size of the UF varies depending on the confidence in the data and the nature of the adverse effect.
USDA
U.S. Department of Agriculture
WHO
World Health Organization