GLOSSARY

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a Gram-negative outer-membrane component, not proof of live bacteria in blood.

Lipopolysaccharide is an outer-membrane component of many Gram-negative bacteria, with its lipid region contributing immune activity. Its blood presence is not identical to live bacteria, bloodstream infection or sepsis. Metabolic endotoxemia describes low-grade exposure in research rather than a universal athlete diagnostic threshold. Assay and contamination affect interpretation; the low-grade label does not prescribe self-treatment or establish that every gram-negative organism is causing disease.

Permeability, cellular injury and microbial or endotoxin translocation are related but different outcomes. Their assays are not interchangeable. Leaky gut is not an explanation diagnosing every nonspecific symptom, and an inadequately validated commercial test cannot prescribe treatment. Record sampling time, recent exercise and method. One blood marker does not locate or grade every intestinal problem, and a transient research change is not automatically a chronic clinical disorder.

Mucosal immunity coordinates pathogen defense with tolerance of foods and commensals, involving intestinal lymphoid tissue and secretory antibodies. Indiscriminately boosting every response is not desirable, and immune tolerance is not identical to symptom-free digestive tolerance. Athletes also need sufficient energy, sleep and training-load management. A bacterial name or isolated marker does not guarantee freedom from infection or replace assessment of recurring illness and dietary adequacy.

Cytokines signal across immune and other tissues, with effects depending on site, timing and context. A transient exercise interleukin rise is not equivalent to chronic disease inflammation; muscle-derived signals can have different regulatory roles. Pro- and anti-inflammatory labels are contextual summaries. Nutrition does not aim to eliminate every inflammatory signal, and post-session values require sampling context rather than automatic interpretation as damage or a need for suppression.

Intestinal fatty acid-binding protein can indicate enterocyte injury in research, distinct from permeability or endotoxin-transfer measures. Concentration also depends on timing, assay and clearance. Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein is not endotoxin itself. Read transient exercise changes with symptoms and context rather than treating one value as an independent gut-injury diagnosis or supplement indication. Different marker names describe different processes and should not be substituted for one another.

An association between microbes and health or performance does not alone establish microbial causation. Diet and training can influence both, and culture or animal findings are not direct human prescriptions. Sports-benefit claims need relevant human outcomes for the actual intervention. An axis name or biological pathway cannot replace evidence of a practical effect, especially when a product is marketed using results from a different population or formulation.