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Glossary

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Term Description
Table sugar See Sugar.
Testosterone A steroid hormone, the main male sex hormone, which is also present in women in smaller amounts.
Thermogenesis A process that generates heat, especially in the body.
Thermoregulation The ability to maintain a constant internal body temperature.
Thiamin Vitamin B1, which functions as part of an enzyme essential for energy production, carbohydrate metabolism and nerve function. Thiamin is found in both plant and animal sources and functions in the complex process of converting glucose (blood sugar) into energy. It is vital in certain metabolic reactions, and thus is needed during exercise and times of high-energy expenditure. Thiamin is also essential for maintenance of the heart and nervous system and formation and maintenance of red blood cells. A syndrome associated with thiamin deficiency is beri beri.
Trans fatty acids Also known as trans fats, a fat that has been altered to a form that the body cannot digest. Examples include hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils created by a manufacturing process as well as fats that have been exposed to excessive heat by cooking. See also hydrogenated oils.
Transient ischemic attack (TIA) A form of stroke, also known as ischemic stroke, caused by deprivation of blood flow to a specific area of the brain.
Triglyceride The chief form of fat in the diet and the major storage form of fat in the body. Serum levels of triglycerides indicate how much fat is moving through or clogging arteries. A level below 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) is considered healthy.
Type I Diabetes Insulin-dependent diabetes is a less common type of diabetes than Type II in which insufficient insulin is produced, requiring daily injections of insulin. Juvenile-onset diabetes is more likely to be Type I.
Type II Diabetes Also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes, this is the more common type of diabetes. The body's fat cells resist the action of insulin, resulting in the inability to burn up the blood sugar (that comes from dietary carbohydrates), resulting in more sugar circulating in the bloodstream.