Reference publication · Founded 2025
An open reference for nutrition, metabolic, and food-science terminology.
Nutrition Reference is an editorially-independent glossary of nutrition science terminology — macronutrient biochemistry, micronutrient bioavailability, metabolic physiology, and the concepts behind modern dietary assessment. Each entry is peer-reviewed against primary sources.
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- Amino Acids The organic building blocks that assemble into proteins and serve as precursors to neurotransmitters, hormones, and metabolic intermediates.
- Essential Amino Acids The nine amino acids the adult human body cannot synthesize de novo in adequate quantity and must obtain from dietary protein.
- Leucine A branched-chain essential amino acid that serves as the principal nutritional trigger of muscle protein synthesis via mTORC1 signaling.
- BCAAs The three essential amino acids — leucine, isoleucine, and valine — whose aliphatic side chains share a common branched structure and degrad…
- Whey Protein The soluble protein fraction of milk, rich in essential amino acids and leucine, with rapid digestion kinetics that make it a reference prot…
- Casein Protein The insoluble phosphoprotein fraction of milk that forms slowly digested micellar curds in the stomach, producing prolonged postprandial ami…