Glossary

Adipocytes

• fat cells

Bacterial phyla

• the main divisions of bacteria

Bacteroidetes

• a bacterial phyla that has been associated with a high-fibre diet

Bacteroides

• a genus, or category, within the Bacteroidetes phylum

Bifidobacteria

• a category of bacteria that has shown to be beneficial to the human gut

Blood lipids

• fatty substances in the blood, including cholesterol

Blood pressure (systolic)

• the pressure exerted on blood vessels when the heart pushes blood throughout the body
• a low systolic blood pressure has been associated with low cholesterol

BMI

• a body mass index that defines whether an individual is overweight or underweight
• an individual's weight in kilograms divided by their height in meters squared

Cholesterol

• appears in different particles (lipoproteins)

• LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol
• characterised as ‘bad’ cholesterol
• HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol
• characterised as ‘good’ cholesterol

Clostridia

• a class of Firmicutes

Energy homeostasis

• the control of energy balance

Firmicutes

• a bacterial phyla that has been associated with a low-fibre diet

Glucomannan

• a dietary fibre that occurs naturally in the cell walls of the konjac plant

Konjac

• a plant native to south eastern Asia that is rich in glucomannan

Lactobacilli

• a category of bacteria that has shown to be beneficial to the human gut

Microbiome

• our collective microbial gene count

Microbiota

• the microorganisms living within our gut

Polysaccharides

• carbohydrate molecules that are derived mainly from plants

Polysaccharide utilisation loci (PUL)

• gene clusters that enable Bacteroides to recognise and metabolise certain polysaccharides

SCFAs

• short-chain fatty acids
• produced during colonic fermentation
• the major products of SCFAs include acetate, propionate, and butyrate 

White adipose tissue

• white fat