Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology

Metabolism refers to the set of biochemical processes that occur within an organism to sustain life. It involves the conversion of nutrients from food into energy and the synthesis and…

Metabolites are the by-products of chemical reactions within cells that are stimulated by different enzymes and used in different metabolic processes. For example, the breakdown of food produces byproducts such…

Metabolomics is the study of the complete set of metabolites in a biological system, such as cells, tissues, or organisms. It involves analyzing small molecules involved in metabolic processes to…

Methylation is a biochemical process involving adding a methyl group (one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms) to specific molecules, such as DNA, proteins, and neurotransmitters. This process regulates gene…

MGBA communication carriers consist of gut peptides, neuroactive chemicals, hormones, and signaling molecules released by various organs interlinked with the MGBA mechanism and participate in both top-down and bottom-up communication…

‘Cross-talk’ refers to the bi-directional communication between the gut, its microbiome, and the brain through intricate neuro-immuno-endocrine communication pathways. MGBA cross-talk facilitates many functions, such as digestion, stress regulation, immune…

Microbial diversity measures the variety of species in the gut microbiota. Higher diversity indicates a healthy microbiota because it contains a diverse range of species, each performing a different beneficial…

Microbial-derived-neurotransmitter synthesis is a process in which gut microbiota and its metabolites stimulate the synthesis and release of neurotransmitters from gut cells.

The terms "micro" and "biome" are derived from Ancient Greek, where "micro" means small and "biome" means life (Berg et al., 2020). The microbiome refers to microorganisms, their genes, and…

Microbiota refers to all of the microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, viruses, and fungi) found in a specific environment, and its diversity (i.e., variety) differs from person to person (Ursell et al.,…