Glossary

Category: S

  • Sorbitol (glycitol, glucitol)

    Asix-carbon sugar alcohol found in some fruits and manufactured from glucose. Although it is metabolised in the body, it is only slowly absorbed from the intestine and is tolerated by diabetics.  

  • Sorbestrin

    Sorbitol ester of fatty acids, developed as a fat replacer.  

  • Somatotrophin

    Growth hormone.  

  • Solanine

    Solanine

    Heat-stable toxic compound (a glycoside of the alkaloid solanidine), found in small amounts in potatoes, and larger and sometimes toxic amounts in sprouted potatoes and when they become green through exposure to light. Causes gastrointestinal disturbances and neurological disorders. A poisonous alkaloid found in potatoes, tomatoes, and other members of the nightshade family.  

  • Sol

    A colloidal solution, i.e. a suspension of particles intermediate in size between ordinary molecules (as in a solution) and coarse particles (as in a suspension). A jelly-like sol is a gel. A colloid in liquid suspension, resembling a solution. State of a colloid system in which the dispersion medium or solvent forms a continuous phase…

  • Socially acceptable monitoring instrument (SAMI)

    A small heart-rate counting apparatus used to estimate energy expenditure.  

  • Skinfold thickness

    Index of subcutaneous fat and hence body fat content. Usually measured at four sites: biceps (midpoint of front upper arm), triceps (midpoint of back upper arm), subscapular (directly below point of shoulder blade at angle of 45 degrees), supra-iliac (directly above iliac crest in mid-axillary line). An index of body fat accumulation determined by measuring…

  • Sitosterol

    The main sterol found in vegetable oils.  

  • Sitophobia

    Sitophobia

    Fear of food; also known as phagophobia. Sitophobia is a psychological condition in which a person is terrified or repelled by all food or else by certain foods that most others deem edible, if not downright delicious. Sitophobia is therefore culturally specific: in Canada, my Lear-like histrionics upon finding half a beetle in my salad…

  • Sitomania

    Mania for eating, morbid obsession with food; also known as phagomania.