Skip to main content

Posts

Metabolomics: an innovative link between biochemistry and nutritional sciences

  Biochemically, metabolism is defined as the overall reactions occurring in the living body. Metabolic reactions can be divided into categories, 1) anabolic, and 2) catabolic. In humans, common catabolic reactions are involved in the digestion of consumed food products.  These catabolic pathways include glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, the urea cycle, fatty oxidation, etc. These reactions are involved in the metabolism of carbs, proteins, and fats. All the aforementioned reactions produce metabolites (or intermediates) as a part of metabolizing the macronutrients. The produced metabolites could be indicative of the metabolic health of a person. Similarly, the alteration of this metabolite production can signify disease development. New research studies are involved in the analysis of such metabolites which serves as a breakthrough in the field of personalized medicine. Section 1. Metabolic pathways and metabolites In this section, I am going to discuss some metabolic reaction
Post a Comment
Read more
Recent posts

GPCR signaling and its importance as a pharmacological target

  Introduction There are several important concepts in biochemistry that explain how certain things work in our bodies. Of these, cellular communication is a crucial topic to discuss. Through the elegance of this complex process, our body is able to establish communication routes to produce a desired outcome. Have you ever wondered how you know you are hungry? Or how do your hands quickly move away if you accidentally touch something extremely hot? Your body has its own USPS system that serves to establish communication channels to respond to various environmental stimuli.  One such important cellular communication platform is the GPCR signaling or the G-protein coupled receptors. These receptors are highly expressed in the human genome and are responsible for signal transduction in various metabolic pathways. 1 Hence, serving as a major pharmacological target to treat numerous metabolic diseases.  In this blog, I am going to discuss the basics of GPCRs mediated signal transduct
Post a Comment
Read more

Cellular Respiration and its role in human metabolism and metabolic diseases

  Abstract: Cellular respiration is a very essential biochemical process that is heavily researched and understood. The energy synthesizing component of cellular respiration contributes to the importance of studying this biochemical process. Through this paper, an effort is made to project the major mechanisms of respiration along with explaining the components of mitochondria. The paper initially discusses the processes of cellular respiration which includes glycolysis, Kreb’s cycle, and the electron transport chain. Additionally, the glycolysis section of the paper highlights the evolutionary significance of glycolysis. The endosymbiotic theory which proposes the origin of mitochondria within humans is included as well along with the pathologies associated with dysfunctioning mitochondria. Hence, with an aim to review multiple pieces of literature related to cellular respiration, this paper signifies the function of mitochondria and cellular respiration as a complex biochemical react
Post a Comment
Read more

Cup of tea after all is good for you...

You do not have to be a tea lover like me to read and enjoy this blog. But yes, this blog can motivate you to at least try one cuppa of good health. People drink tea for its natural and earthy flavor, however, the tea you drink has so many health benefits as well. So if you drink tea on a regular basis, pat your back because you gave your body a great gift of health! There are many tea types which include black, green, white, chamomile, and herbal teas. Amongst these types, green tea has been rewarded the title of “the healthiest tea.” Adding green tea to your diet, which should comprise whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, has reduced the risk of heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes. 1 Professor Qi Shun, an assistant professor at the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, mentions that green tea contains a substance of polyphenols, which is assumed to be an effective anti-inflammatory substance. Polyphenols have a compound known as catechins. The
Post a Comment
Read more

How nature impacts our mood

  After finishing my sophomore year at university, I was ready for a break. As a university student, I was constantly worried about course deadlines, lab work, and job commitments. After the semester, I traveled back home and turned off my student brain to relax for a while. I decided to take a stroll in nature, and all the stress hormones, cortisol, and adrenaline, which seemed to stock up during this totally weird college semester, just disappeared. It turns out that you cannot entirely turn off the student's brain and so here I am researching the biochemistry that resulted in all my stress hormones dissolving and the sudden surge of happy hormones after spending some time in nature. Seems totally unreal when nature can set up a complex set of reactions that just makes you feel happier. So when you feel overwhelmed, I recommend taking the aid of our mother nature. Mother nature to the rescue!
Post a Comment
Read more

Trans-fats and its effects on the human body

         You may have heard from many health magazines that trans-fats are really bad for human health. But have you wondered why this might be the case? What is it about the trans-fats that make them so bad that health magazines basically view them as the biggest villain of all the time? The answer lies in their chemical structure and how our bodies react to them.  So what are trans-fats? Trans-fats are saturated fatty acids that contain a double bond in the trans (opposite) arrangement. Therefore this type of fat is known to have a ‘kink’ in them (1). Please refer to the image below to understand the difference between cis versus trans saturated fats.  Image citation link: https://www.nutrientsreview.com/lipids/trans-fats.html The image shows us that a simple difference in the placement of hydrogen atoms makes trans fat an unhealthy type of fat when compared to cis-saturated fat. As the central theme of biochemistry dictates that structure determines function, what seems to be a mi
Post a Comment
Read more