B

an international program developed by WHO/UNICEF for the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding as a strategy aimed at increasing the health and well being of children and families

Bacterial lipopolysaccharides are a lipid and polysaccharide complex that forms the major component of the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria, such as E.coli, salmonella, shigella and other enterobacteria. Lipopolysaccharides are endotoxins; heat-stable toxins that are released when the bacterial cell is disrupted.

Balance of cytokines is the relative quantities of specific cytokines in an immune response Commonly used in reference to Th1/Th2 cytokines and allergy.

Bariatric surgery is a branch of medicine that deals with the surgical treatment of obesity.

Basal energy expenditure is the energy expended for respiration, circulation, brain activity and other vital body functions. It is measured in the resting condition, while fasting, free from stress and in a thermoneutral environment.

The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the energy needed to sustain the metabolic activities of cells and tissues, plus the energy needed to maintain blood circulation, respiration, and gastrointestinal and renal processing (i.e. the basal cost of living).

Behaviour counselling techniques are methods to change behaviour including self-monitoring of diet and physical activity (food and physical activity logs), cue elimination, stimulus control, goal setting, problem solving, action planning, modeling, limit setting, and rewards for reaching goals modifying specific eating behaviours (e.g. slowing the rate of eating, controlling where eating occurs, delaying gratification), and reinforcement management.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a progressive enlargement of the prostate due to hyperplasia of both glandular and stromal components. It typically begina in the fifth decade and sometimes causes obstructive or irritative symptoms or both; it does not evolve into cancer.

Betalactoglobulin is one of the most abundant milk proteins and a significant milk allergen. Along with casein, it is one of the most frequently and intensively recognized protein by IgE antibodies.

Bifidobacterium is a genus of gram-positive, anaerobic bacteria of the family Actinomycetaceae, order Actinomycetales. The organisms occur as irregularly staining rods of bifurcated Y and V forms and club or spatulate shapes.

Bioavailability is the proportion of an ingested nutrient that is absorbed and utilized. It can be influenced by the physiological state of an individual and the interaction of other nutrients consumed in diet.

Biofilm is a thin layer of inorganic or organic microorganisms that adhere to the surface of a structure, together with the polymers that they secrete.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in the manufacture of epoxy resins for internal food can linings and polycarbonate plastics. It is a known endocrine disruptor.

Bitter melon flourishes in India, Asia, South America, Africa and the Caribbean. The bitter melon plant is a vine with green leaves and yellow flowers and the fruit is oblong and green, resembling a cucumber. The extracts of the unripe fruit are most frequently used are the fruit and the seeds.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is weight(kg)/height(m)2 (squared).

Bone mineral density (BMD) is a measure of the amount of calcium in bones. A BMD test detects osteopenia (bone loss usually without symptoms and osteoporosis (more severe bone loss which may cause symptoms).

Borborygmi is a rumbling sound made by the movement of gas in the intestine. Borborygmus is the plural version.

Stomach rumbling

Stomach rumbling

Bovine lipase is a bovine preparation offered as an alternative to porcine preparations for those who refuse the consumption of porcine products for religious or other reasons. The lipase activity of bovine preparations reaches approximately 25% that of porcine extracts, and consequently a substantially greater number of tablets may be required to achieve the same effect.

A brain infarct is tissue death in the brain due to a lack of oxygen.

Any food that is being marketed or represented as a partial or total replacement for breastmilk, whether or not it is suitable for that purpose.

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid is fluid obtained by washout of the epithelial lining fluid of the of the lung. It is used to assess biochemical and inflammatory changes in and effects of therapy on the interstitial lung tissue.

A contraction of smooth muscle in the walls of the bronchi and bronchioles, causing narrowing of the lumen.