I

A type of immunoglobulin. Levels of IgE antibody are elevated in individuals with atopic conditions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. IgE antibodies are produced against specific allergens and determined by both genetic factors and exposure to allergens. Allergens will trigger an allergic response, in sensitized individuals, by attaching to IgE antibodies bound to mast cells. This results in mast cell release of inflammatory mediators, which trigger acute tissue inflammation.

Immunological hypersensitivity due to formation of excessive amounts of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in response to otherwise innocuous antigens (allergens) in the environment or in food.
Immediate-type hypersensitivity, type 1 hypersensitivity and allergic sensitivity can be synonymous

Abbreviated IgE. A class of immunoglobulins that includes the antibodies elicited by an allergic substance (allergen). A person who has an allergy usually has elevated blood levels of IgE. IgE antibodies attack and engage the invading army of allergens

Immunoglobulins are proteins found in blood and in tissue fluids. Immunoglobulins make up gamma globulin; all antibodies are immunoglobulins. There are five classes (IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM) of immunoglobulins which differ in the structure of their polypeptide heavy chains. Immunoglobulins are produced by cells of the immune system called B-lymphocytes. Their function is to bind to substances in the body that are recognized as foreign antigens (often proteins on the surface of bacteria and viruses). This binding is a crucial event in the destruction of the microorganisms that bear the antigens. Immunoglobulins also play a central role in allergies when they bind to antigens that are not necessarily a threat to health and provoke an inflammatory reaction.

Adjustment of the immune response to a desired level

Enteral and parenteral nutritional formulas that have been supplemented with components intended to improve immune function such as arginine, glutamine, omega-3 fatty acids and nucleic acids.

(nutrient data), a process whereby missing nutrient data may be estimated using nutrient data from comparable similar foods (e.g. same biological plant family)

outside the living body and in an artificial environment

in the living body of a plant or animal; in a real-life situation

"The rate at which new diagnoses occur within a given population over a defined time period; a prospective measure of disease occurrence in a defined population."

Source: Porta M, Greenland S, Hernán M, dos Santos Silva I, Last JM, ed. A dictionary of epidemiology, 6th edition. New York: Oxford University Press; 2014.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Section 2: Morbidity frequency measures. In Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice. 3rd Edition. 2012. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson3/section2.html

The number of new cases of condition/disease over the total number of people in the population at risk of having a condition/disease during a specified period.

The number of new cases a condition/disease over the total amount of person-time at risk for having the condition/disease during a specific period.

"Occurs when investigators study a diagnostic test that incorporates features of the target outcome. The result is a bias toward making the test appear more powerful in differentiating target positive from target negative than it actually is."

Source: JAMA evidence. American Medical Association; 2014 Jun. Available from: http://www.jamaevidence.com/glossary

"Indicators of adequacy" are criteria that can be used to determine a requirement for a nutrient. Examples include absence of clinical deficiency signs and symptoms; biochemical parameters reflecting the function or storage of the nutrient; circulating levels of a nutrient; etc. For each nutrient, different intakes are required to meet different indicators of adequacy. For example, more iron is needed to maintain iron stores (for which the indicator of adequacy would be a defined level of serum ferritin) than to prevent anemia (for which the indicator of adequacy would be a defined level of hemoglobin).

Calculation of the energy expenditure in the form of heat production based on respiratory gas exchange.

The lowest continuing intake level of a nutrient that, for a specified indicator of adequacy, will maintain a defined level of nutriture in an individual.

A condition that occurs during the first few months of life when an infant strains and screams during prolonged attempts to defecate, lasting for up to 20 minutes, until soft or liquid stools pass. This can occur several times a day. Symptoms resolve spontaneously in a few weeks.

IBD is a condition in which the gastrointestinal tract is chronically inflamed, which causes diarrhea, abdominal pain and other symptoms.

Source: Walfish AE, Companioni RAC. Overview of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Rahway, NJ: Merck & Co, Inc.; 2022 Sep.

Influenza, commonly called the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses which can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Influenza usually starts with a cough, headache and chills; followed by fever, loss of appetite, muscle aches and fatigue, runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes and throat irritation. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are uncommon symptoms in adults but may occur in children.

Informed consent means voluntarily agreeing to participate in something after having gained a thorough understanding of the risks and benefits that participation would involve.

Insoluble fibre is generally resistant to bacterial fermentation in the large bowel and thus increases stool bulk (e.g. wheat bran)

Insulin is primarily produced by recombinant DNA technology and is formulated as either chemically identical to human insulin or as a modification of human insulin (insulin analogue). This modification results in improved pharmacokinetics. There are currently insulin analogues for short-acting insulin (called rapid-acting insulins) and analogues for longer-acting insulins (basal insulins).

A ratio that specifies the number of grams of carbohydrate covered by each unit of rapid-acting insulin.

Source: Warshaw H, Bolderman K. Practical carbohydrate counting: A how-to-Teach Guide for Health Professionals. American Diabetes Association. 2009.

An estimation of active insulin in the body used in modern insulin therapy with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) to prevent insulin stacking that may lead to hypoglycaemia.

Source: Warshaw H, Bolderman K. Practical carbohydrate counting: A how-to-Teach Guide for Health Professionals. American Diabetes Association. 2009.

A process that combines biological, cultural, physical and chemical methods to manage pests so that the benefits of pest control are maximized while the risk to human health and the environment are minimized. IPM ensures that pesticides are only used when needed and that they are used responsibly as part of an overall pest management strategy.

Intense sweeteners impart greater sweetness and contribute less energy than sugar. The term nutritive intense sweeteners usually refers to the sugar alcohols, which provide some carbohydrate and energy, but less than sugar. Non-nutritive intense sweeteners impart sweetness in extremely small quantities and deliver no energy or an insignificant amount of energy. Some of the intense sweeteners are also referred to as artificial sweeteners, while some are naturally occurring.

Multiple daily injections (MDI) consisting of intermediate or long-acting insulin, or extended insulin analogue as the "basal" insulin and fast-acting insulin or rapid-acting insulin analogue as the "bolus" insulin for food intake at each meal. This type of regimen also includes continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or insulin pump therapy.

"A fundamental way to analyze a randomized controlled trial in which all subjects allocated to each arm of the trial are analyzed “as intended” upon randomization, whether or not they actually received the exposure allocated or completed treatment. Failure to follow this approach defeats the main purpose and advantage of random allocation and can cause serious confounding bias. This approach is virtually always required as part of the primary analysis of studies aiming to influence clinical or public-health decisions and policy formulation. It may be complemented by an explanatory analysis, in which subjects are analyzed according to the exposure they actually experienced (with adjustment for possible confounders, i.e., with an analytic approach similar to an observational cohort study), or in which some participants (e.g., subjects who complied poorly with the protocol) are excluded from analyses. An intention-to-treat analysis does not determine whether and how to impute missing data on the outcome measure. Because of its pragmatic nature, ITT can underestimate treatment efficacy or have a low explanatory capacity."

Source: Porta M, ed. A Dictionary of epidemiology, 6th edition. New York: Oxford University Press; 2014.

computer based tools and systems to enhance behaviour change e.g. web-based behaviour change programs, CD-ROM interventions using touch screen kiosks, interactive voice response technologies (automated telephone disease management systems), personal digital assistants (PDA's) or other handheld devices, electronic medical records or registries that include behaviour change information.

The degree to which every test item measures the same concept in a measurement tool.

In psychology, internalization refers to the unconscious mental process whereby characteristics, beliefs, feelings, and attitudes of others are integrated into the self.

Internalized weight stigma or self-directed weight stigma refers to negative attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes based on one’s personal weight.

INR is an international measure of blood coagulation that standardizes the responsiveness of different anticoagulants. INR is calculated using the individual’s prothrombin time, the mean normal prothrombin time, and the international sensitivity index for thromboplastin reagents (ISI).

International Normalized Ratio is the prothrombin time ratio that would be obtained if a standard reagent was used in a prothrombin time determination. The prothrombin time ratio is derived for a working reagent in the laboratory with the use of a parameter designated the international sensitivity index and is expressed as an individual’s prothrombin time divided by the mean of the prothrombin time reference interval.

One’s conscious ability to sense, interpret and integrate signals originating from within the body. In the context of intuitive eating, there is often a focus on one’s ability to sense, interpret and respond to their hunger and fullness cues.

Sources:
Mehling WE, Acree M, Stewart A, Silas J, Jones A. The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2). PLOS ONE, 2018;13(12):e0208034.
Tribole E, Resch E. Intuitive eating: a revolutionary anti-diet approach. 4th edition. New York: St. Martin’s Essentials; 2020. ISBN 9781250758286.

Intersectionality is the understanding that inequities in society result from the interconnection of multiple factors, rather than one specific characteristic or factor. Intersections can occur between social factors and identities such as race, gender, age, poverty status, etc. from power structures such as laws, governments, religious institutions, etc.

Source: Conrad P. The shifting engines of medicalization. J Health Soc Behav. 2005 Mar;46(1):3–14.

The accepted criteria for diagnosis of interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome is the presence of pain related to the bladder, usually accompanied by frequency and urgency; and the absence of other diseases that could cause the symptoms.

"An (equal) interval involves assignment of values with a natural distance between them, so that a particular distance (interval) between two values in one region of the scale meaningfully represents the same distance between two values in another region of the scale. Examples include Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature, date of birth."

Source: Porta M, ed. A Dictionary of epidemiology, 6th edition. New York: Oxford University Press; 2014.

"Greater probing by an interviewer in one of the groups being compared, contingent on particular features of the participants."

Source: JAMA evidence. American Medical Association; 2014 Jun. Available from: http://www.jamaevidence.com/glossary.

Intravenous administration of Ringers lactate solution or normal saline at a rate of 20 mL/kg over 1 hour. Larger quantities or more rapid administration may be required

A substance produced by the normal gastrointestinal mucosa that facilitates absorption of vitamin B12.

the second stage in the development of iron deficiency anemia in which the supply of iron to the functional compartment (bone marrow) is low (low transferrin saturation, high FEP) due to depleted iron stores (low serum ferritin), but not yet low enough to impair production of hemoglobin.

hemoglobin is below the normal reference range for age as a result of depleted iron stores. Mean cell volume is also decreased.

the first stage in the development of iron deficiency anemia in which storage levels of iron are low, reflected by serum ferritin levels below the normal reference range for age. Levels of iron in transit, reflected by transferrin saturation or total iron binding capacity, and levels of hemoglobin are not yet affected.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common, chronic gastrointestinal disorder of gut-brain interaction with no identified structural pathology and a symptom-based diagnosis.