Glossary
Every technical term the book uses, in one place.
A
ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake): The amount of a substance a person could consume every day for life without expected harm. Normally the animal no-effect level divided by 100 or more. Chapter 87
ADME: Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion. The four processes determining what a drug does. Chapter 62
Acrylamide: Formed when asparagine reacts with sugars in dry heat above ~120 °C. Probable human carcinogen. Chapter 91
Adenosine: The molecule that accumulates while you are awake and creates sleep pressure. Caffeine blocks its receptors. Chapter 88
Adjuvant: A substance added to a vaccine to provoke a stronger immune response. Chapter 74
Aflatoxin: A potent carcinogenic mould toxin, mainly on peanuts, maize, and nuts. Chapter 92
Agonist / antagonist: A drug that activates a receptor / one that blocks it. Chapter 62
Agranulocytosis: Sudden loss of white blood cells; a rare drug reaction presenting as sore throat and fever. Chapter 85
Alliinase: The enzyme in garlic and onion that converts stored precursors into pungent sulphur compounds when cells are cut. Chapter 40
Amygdalin: A cyanogenic glycoside in apple pips, apricot kernels, and stone fruit seeds. Chapter 18
Anaphylaxis: A rapid, potentially fatal allergic reaction. Treated with adrenaline. Chapter 98
Anthocyanin: Red, purple, and blue plant pigments; a flavonoid subclass. Chapter 17
Anticholinergic burden: The cumulative effect of drugs blocking acetylcholine: confusion, falls, dry mouth, retention. Chapter 83
Antinutrient: A compound that reduces the absorption of a nutrient: phytate, oxalate, tannins. Chapter 18
Aril: The fleshy seed covering you eat in a pomegranate. Chapter 31
B
Beta-glucan: A viscous soluble fibre in oats and barley that lowers LDL cholesterol. Chapter 14
Bioaccumulation: Building up in an organism faster than it is excreted. Chapter 92
Bioavailability: The fraction of a dose that reaches the bloodstream unchanged. Chapter 62
Biomagnification: Concentrating up a food chain, as with mercury in large fish. Chapter 92
Bioequivalence: The standard a generic must meet: 90 percent confidence interval within 80 to 125 percent of the original. Chapter 63
Blanching: Brief boiling or steaming to deactivate enzymes before freezing. Chapter 9
Bletting: Deliberate softening of medlars and some fruit past ripeness to make them edible. Chapter 31
Bromelain: The protein-digesting enzyme in pineapple. Chapter 28
Butyrate: A short-chain fatty acid produced by gut bacteria; the main fuel of colon cells. Chapter 14
C
CAM photosynthesis: Opening stomata at night to conserve water. Pineapple, dragon fruit, cacti. Chapter 3
Caprification: Pollination of Smyrna figs by fig wasps. Chapter 32
Capsaicin: The compound producing chilli heat by activating the TRPV1 heat receptor. Chapter 44
Carotenoid: Orange, red, and yellow fat-soluble plant pigments: beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein. Chapter 17
Cation exchange capacity (CEC): A soil's ability to hold positively charged nutrients. Chapter 2
Chill hours: Hours below about 7 °C that a temperate fruit tree needs each winter to break dormancy properly. Chapter 3
Chilling injury: Damage to tropical and subtropical produce from refrigeration. Chapter 8
Chylomicron: The particle that carries absorbed fat from the gut into the lymphatic system. Chapter 10
Climacteric: Fruit that ripens after picking with a burst of ethylene. Apple, banana, avocado. Chapter 1
Clubroot: A soil-borne brassica disease whose spores survive up to 20 years. Chapter 39
Coeliac disease: Autoimmune damage to the small intestine triggered by gluten, affecting about 1 percent of people. Chapter 98
Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage: Low-oxygen storage that holds apples for up to a year. Chapter 8
Cucurbitacin: The bitter, toxic defence compound in squashes and cucumbers. Chapter 43
Curing: Post-harvest warm, humid holding that heals wounds and sets skins on potatoes, onions, and squash. Chapter 8
Cytochrome P450 (CYP): The liver enzyme family that metabolises most drugs, and the site of most interactions. Chapter 62
D
DIAAS: Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score, the modern measure of protein quality. Chapter 12
Deprescribing: Deliberate, supervised reduction or stopping of medicines whose harms exceed their benefits. Chapter 83
Determinate / indeterminate: Plants that set all their fruit at once / keep growing and fruiting. Chapter 30
Drupe: A fleshy fruit with a single stone: peach, olive, coconut, almond. Chapter 25
E
Emollient: A moisturiser used as the foundation of eczema treatment. Chapter 78
Enteric coating: A coating that dissolves only past the stomach. Never crush. Chapter 63
Ethylene: The gaseous plant hormone that triggers ripening, and the most commercially important molecule in the produce trade. Chapter 1
Excipient: Everything in a tablet that is not the active drug. Chapter 63
F
First-pass metabolism: Destruction of a drug by the liver before it reaches the general circulation. Chapter 62
FODMAPs: Fermentable short-chain carbohydrates that trigger IBS symptoms. Chapter 14
Food matrix: The physical and chemical structure of a food, which changes how its nutrients behave. Chapter 54
Free sugars: Added sugars plus those in honey, syrups, and juice; excludes sugars inside intact fruit and milk. Chapter 11
Furanocoumarin: The compound in grapefruit that irreversibly inhibits CYP3A4; also causes phytophotodermatitis. Chapter 22
G
Gelatinisation: Starch granules swelling with heat and water, making starch digestible. Chapter 91
Glucosinolate: The stored defence compound in brassicas that becomes sulforaphane on damage. Chapter 39
Glycaemic index / load: A food's glucose response per 50 g of carbohydrate / adjusted for portion. Chapter 11
Glycoalkaloid: Solanine and chaconine in potatoes; heat-stable neurotoxins. Chapter 42
Grafting: Joining a chosen variety (scion) to a chosen root system (rootstock). Chapter 5
H
Haber-Bosch process: Industrial nitrogen fixation; the reason the planet can feed its population. Chapter 2
Haem / non-haem iron: Animal iron, absorbed at 15 to 35 percent / plant iron, 2 to 20 percent and heavily affected by other foods. Chapter 16
Half-life: Time for a drug's concentration to halve. Five half-lives to clear or to reach steady state. Chapter 62
Hazard vs risk: What something can do / the probability it will at your exposure. Chapter 87
Hormesis: Benefit from a low dose of a mild stressor. Chapter 17
Hypoglycin A: The compound in unripe lychee and ackee that blocks glucose production. Chapter 33
I
IARC: The WHO's cancer agency, which classifies hazard, not risk. Chapter 87
Incretin: A gut hormone released on eating that stimulates insulin. GLP-1 is one. Chapter 76
Insulin resistance: Reduced cellular response to insulin; the core of type 2 diabetes. Chapter 11
Isothiocyanate: The reactive compound produced from glucosinolates; sulforaphane is one. Chapter 39
L
Lactase persistence: Retaining the ability to digest lactose into adulthood; a recent mutation, not the human default. Chapter 54
LD50: The dose killing half of test animals; a crude acute toxicity measure. Chapter 87
Lectin: Carbohydrate-binding proteins; phytohaemagglutinin in kidney beans is the dangerous one. Chapter 47
Lipid transfer protein (LTP): Heat-stable fruit allergens causing systemic reactions. Chapter 98
Lycopene: The red carotenoid in tomato and watermelon; more available after cooking. Chapter 30
M
1-MCP: A gas that blocks ethylene receptors, pausing fruit ripening for months. Chapter 8
Maillard reaction: Amino acids reacting with sugars above ~140 °C, producing browning and flavour, and acrylamide. Chapter 91
Mendelian randomisation: Using genetic variants as natural randomisation to test causation. Chapter 97
Microbiome: The community of microorganisms in the gut. Chapter 14
Modified release (MR, SR, XL, XR): Formulations releasing drug slowly. Never crush. Chapter 63
MRL (Maximum Residue Level): A pesticide trading and good-practice standard, not a safety threshold. Chapter 6
Mycorrhiza: The fungus-root partnership that supplies plants with phosphorus and water. Chapter 2
Myrosinase: The enzyme converting glucosinolates to sulforaphane; destroyed above 60 °C. Chapter 39
N
NAPQI: The toxic paracetamol metabolite neutralised by glutathione, and the cause of overdose liver failure. Chapter 65
Naloxone: The opioid antagonist that reverses overdose within minutes; harmless if given unnecessarily. Chapter 68
Nitrate → nitrite → nitric oxide: The pathway by which vegetable nitrate lowers blood pressure. Chapter 38
Nocebo: Symptoms caused by expecting them; the mirror of placebo. Chapter 85
Non-climacteric: Fruit that does not ripen after picking. Citrus, grapes, berries, watermelon. Chapter 1
NNT / NNH: Number needed to treat for one to benefit / to harm. Chapter 63
NOAEL: The highest dose producing no observed adverse effect in animal studies. Chapter 87
NOVA: The classification that defines ultra-processed food. Chapter 58
Nrf2: The cellular pathway activated by sulforaphane and other plant compounds, switching on your own antioxidant enzymes. Chapter 17
O
Oral allergy syndrome: Mouth itching from raw fruit cross-reacting with pollen allergens. Chapter 98
ORAC: A test-tube antioxidant score, withdrawn by the USDA in 2012 as irrelevant to human health. Chapter 17
Oxalate: A compound that binds calcium; high in spinach, rhubarb, and beet greens. Chapter 18
P
Parthenocarpy: Fruit development without fertilisation; why bananas and some figs have no seeds. Chapter 21
PFAS: "Forever chemicals" with half-lives of years, found in nearly everyone's blood. Chapter 93
Phytate: The seed storage form of phosphorus; binds iron and zinc, reduced by soaking, sprouting, and fermenting. Chapter 18
Phytochemical: A non-nutrient plant compound. Chapter 17
Phytophotodermatitis: Blistering burns from plant furanocoumarins plus sunlight. Chapter 22
PM2.5: Particles under 2.5 micrometres; the air pollutant that matters most. Chapter 95
Polyphenol: The largest class of plant defence compounds, including flavonoids and tannins. Chapter 17
Pome: An apple or pear: flesh derived largely from the flower base rather than the ovary. Chapter 20
Portal vein: The vessel taking all gut-absorbed material to the liver first. Chapter 10
Prodrug: An inactive drug requiring metabolism to work. Codeine, clopidogrel, enalapril. Chapter 62
Prostaglandin: Local signalling molecules causing pain, inflammation, and fever, and protecting the stomach. NSAIDs block their production. Chapter 66
R
Rebound acid hypersecretion: The surge in stomach acid after stopping a PPI, easily mistaken for relapse. Chapter 71
Resistant starch: Starch that escapes digestion and is fermented in the colon. Chapter 11
Reye's syndrome: Rare fatal encephalopathy from aspirin in children during viral illness. Chapter 67
Rhizobia: Bacteria in legume root nodules that fix atmospheric nitrogen. Chapter 2
Rootstock / scion: The root system / the fruiting variety grafted onto it. Chapter 5
S
Salicylate: The aspirin family; also in wintergreen oil and topical rubs, where it can cause poisoning. Chapter 67
Sarcopenia: Age-related muscle loss, preventable with protein plus resistance exercise. Chapter 12
Serotonin syndrome: A potentially fatal reaction to combined serotonergic drugs. Chapter 84
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs): Acetate, propionate, butyrate; produced by bacteria fermenting fibre. Chapter 14
Sick day rules: Which drugs to hold or increase during dehydrating illness. Chapter 76
Solanine: The glycoalkaloid in green and sprouted potatoes. Chapter 42
Sorbitol: A sugar alcohol in stone fruit and prunes; osmotic laxative and FODMAP. Chapter 25
Sulforaphane: The isothiocyanate from broccoli that activates Nrf2. Chapter 39
Syconium: A fig: an inverted flower cluster. Chapter 32
T
Therapeutic index: The gap between an effective dose and a toxic one. Chapter 62
Thermic effect of food: Energy spent digesting food: 20 to 30 percent for protein, 0 to 3 percent for fat. Chapter 12
Tolerance: Diminishing effect from the same dose with repeated use. Chapter 62
Triple whammy: ACE inhibitor or ARB + diuretic + NSAID; a common cause of acute kidney injury. Chapter 66
TRPV1: The heat-sensing receptor that capsaicin activates. Chapter 44
U
U=U: Undetectable equals untransmittable: sustained viral suppression in HIV prevents sexual transmission. Chapter 73
Ultra-processed food: NOVA group 4: industrial formulations with ingredients not used in home cooking. Chapter 58
Urolithin: A gut-bacterial metabolite of ellagitannins from pomegranate and berries. Chapter 31
Urushiol: The poison ivy compound family, also present in mango skin and cashew shells. Chapter 27
V
Vernalisation: The cold requirement some annuals and biennials need before flowering. Chapter 3
Villi / microvilli: The folds multiplying the small intestine's absorptive surface to a couple of hundred square metres. Chapter 10
W
Water use efficiency: Water consumed per unit of dry matter produced; varies by photosynthetic type. Chapter 3
Withdrawal: Symptoms on stopping a drug the body has adapted to. Distinct from addiction. Chapter 62