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Acomplia

A weight loss and smoking cessation medication manufactured by the French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Aventis and sold in Europe. In June 2007, the FDA denied Sanofi the right to sell Acomplia in the US becasue of concerns regarding the fact that Acompli can cause severe depression in some individuals.

Adipose

The word adipose comes from Latin, it means fat. It is often used to refer to fat tissue, or an aggregate of fat cells.

Adipose Tissue

A specialized form of connective tissue where the body stores fat. Fatty body tissue.

Adiposity

The condition of being fat or having excess fatty tissue.

Alli

Alli is a low-dose version of the weight loss drug Orlistat sold by prescription under the trade name Xenical. Alli is the first FDA approved weight loss medication to be available without prescription. The drug helps people lose weight by blocking digestion and absorption of some of the fat contained in foods. The unabsorbed fat travels through the intestine and is excreted in the feces. It is usually taken 3 times a day with meals. To avoid unpleasant side effects that can include flatulence, gas, intestinal cramping, and fecal incontinence people using Alli need to adhere to a low fat diet and avoid overdoses of the medication.

Amino Acids

The molecular building blocks of protein. Amino acids are so named because they contain an amine (a nitrogen containing group) as well as a carbon backbone which can be used for energy and a carboxyl group. Twenty two commonly occurring amino acids are found in food. About half of these amino acids are considered dietarily essential. in other words, they must be supplied by the diet. The other half can be made by the human body if it has the right starting materials.

Anabolic

The term for a substance or process that leads to production of large molecules and eventually larger tissues. For example, anabolic steroids cause increases in muscle tissue.

Anabolism

The metabolic process of building larger molecules and tissues. Substances which promote anabolism are termed anabolic, as in anabolic steroids.

Anastomosis

In surgical terms an anastomosis is the process of stitching together two cut ends of a hollow organ. When surgeons reroute the digestive system during a gastric bypass procedure they create an anastomosis between the stomach and the lower part of the small intestine.

Android Obesity

Typcial male pattern obesity characterized by accumulation of fat in the abdominal area resulting in an apple-shaped body.

Anthropometry

Derived from classical Greek, The science of measuring the weight length, width, and circumference of the human body.

Appetite

The emotional desire for food or to eat. Appetite may be general such as simply wanting to eat whatever food is readily available or it can be very specific such as the desire for a particular food item, like chocolate cake or mashed potatoes. When people are hungry they may have an appetite for a particular food. In this situation, hunger and appetite occur together. However, appetite often has nothing to do with physical hunger. For instance, when you eat dessert after dinner even though you are uncomfortably full, simply because it looks so tasty, or seek out your favorite comfort food after a bad day at work you are eating to satisfy your appetite not your hunger.

Aspartame

A sugar substitute made from two naturally occurring amino acids, aspartate and phenylalanine. Sold under the trade name NutraSweet. It degrades when exposed to high temperatures so it is not a practical sweetener for baked goods.

Atkins Diet

The most well marketed low carb diet. It was developed by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1960s after he read an article in a medical journal about the effect of dietary carbohydrate on insulin levels and weight. The diet enjoyed wide popularity in the 1970s and again beginning in the late 1990s. The Atkins approach allows people to eat all the protein and fat they want but requires that they limit there intake of carbs. During the first phase of the program, dieters must eat no more than 20 grams of carb (equivalent to the amount in a single slice of bread) each day and it can only come from vegetables. Later, they are allowed to add fruits and a bit of whole grains. Health experts have expressed concern that the high fat intake may worsen heart disease risk factors.

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