Weight Loss Glossary I

Insulin

Insulin is a peptide hormone produced in the beta cells of the pancreas. It allows glucose and amino acids to move across cell membranes, as well as controlling enzyme activity within cells controlling carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism.

Source:

Youngson, R. (2001) The Royal Society of Medicine Health Encyclopedia Bloomsbury Publishing, P. 415

Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance occurs when normal levels of insulin in the blood stream fail to regulate blood sugar levels. Because of excess blood sugar, insulin continues to be released into the blood stream. Also commonly known as Type II Diabetes.

Source:

Youngson, R. (2001) The Royal Society of Medicine Health Encyclopedia Bloomsbury Publishing, P. 415

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Insulin Sensitivity

Refers to the rate at which cells take up insulin from the blood stream. The more insulin that cells take up, the less insulin that is left in the blood stream. A low insulin sensitivity means that insulin is not taken up readily, while a high insulin sensitivity means that insulin is taken up by the cells.

When insulin is taken up, the body responds by controlling the amount of blood sugar in the system, allowing glucose and amino acids to move across cell membranes.

Source:

GlaxoSmithKline Glossary

Youngson, R. (2001) The Royal Society of Medicine Health Encyclopedia Bloomsbury Publishing, P. 415

Isokinetic Exercise

An exercise used to test and improve muscular strength. It involves specialized exercise machines that control the speed that can be achieved by the exerciser, no matter how hard they work. These machines achieve this through causing the exerciser to repeat an exercise slightly beyond capacity, until the muscles can no longer perform the exercise but cause the exerciser to perform the exercise at a constant pre-set speed.

Exercise machines such as isokinetic cycles can achieve this, as they can be set to a certain rpm and no matter how hard the exerciser tries, the amount of revolutions the cycle will perform will stay at that level already set.

Source:

Dr. Joseph F. Smith Medical Library

Isometric Exercise

Exercise where muscle is squeezed against resistance (an immovable object), while also maintaining a constant length and the joints do not move.

Source:

EhealthMD

Isocaloric

Having similar caloric value. E.g. Two seperate meals may be given which are equal or similar in calories. This may be termed isocaloric meals.

Source:

Medline Plus