GLOSSARY

Absorptive Phase is the period of meal-nutrient uptake, overlapping with intake, digestion and processing.

Fed and absorptive states involve processing a meal; in the postabsorptive state, meal-derived entry declines and stored fuels contribute more. Fasting is not one exact clock time applicable to every food. Fasted exercise does not mean fuel use stops or guarantee long-term fat loss. Meal timing should fit session goals, tolerance and total daily intake rather than being selected from a state label alone.

Seeing and smelling food can initiate cephalic responses; gastric and intestinal entry also generate neural and hormonal signals. Digestive phases overlap rather than forming completely isolated blocks. Meal responses include movement, secretion and processing, not just hunger sensations. A mixed meal behaves as a combination, so isolated-food timing cannot simply be transferred unchanged to the whole meal or used to predict every nutrient's appearance in circulation.

Circulating appearance reflects intestinal entry and processing before the sampling site; it need not equal absorption rate. Blood concentration also depends on tissue removal. Speed claims require a defined tracer or sampling method. Practical sports value includes sufficient fuel and tolerance, while a higher experimental concentration peak alone does not prove superior performance. Separate delivery, concentration and use when comparing rapidly marketed foods or supplements.