LIFE SCIENCE FOR GENERAL UNDERSTANDING: PLANTS --V

 LIFE SCIENCE FOR GENERAL UNDERSTANDING:      PLANTS --V

[ON REQUEST FROM Cdr. V. KRISHNAN]

PLANT PRODUCTS

Most humans survive on plant-derived staple food like Rice/ Wheat or other cereals in all countries. All other eatable items are just additives and supplementary in value. The list of items would be baffling by the number of plant sources which humans make use of.

While energy helps activity, other requirements are not provided by cereals. The basic structure, growth and maintenance are silent day-to-day functions. So, it is essential that for appropriate physiology additional input is needed. Most important of them are ‘PROTEINS’.

PROTEINS

Proteins form the basic organization by an innumerable permutation of Amino acid sequences. A subtle difference in the sequence may mean entirely different product. To understand this, the 3 letter word GOD can be rewritten as DOG or PAT /TAP, BIN/ NIB. Positioning of letters is language and its beauty. It boils down to the idea that proteins are formed by different amino-acid assemblies; indispensable and irreplaceable for perfect functioning. So, as humans we need to accord the due importance to protein intake as a dietary plan. I am at a loss to understand why many people [especially in southern India] consume more carbohydrate and very little of proteins. It is a common sight to find ‘pot belly’ due to overload of carbohydrate in food.

Instead, a right combination of cereal + vegetables [bean varieties] + leafy vegetable would do a world of good to our well being.  It is opportune to highlight the value of proteins to streamline our physiology and health.

BUILDING BLOCK

Proteins function as building blocks by ‘construction’ of our tissues and muscles by formulation of right protein frame work. The process is nearly continual though not continuous. How?

MAINTENANCE and REPAIR

All our cells and tissues suffer ‘ageing’ and related damage. They need to be replaced by adding replacement without our knowing such internal happenings every minute.

KEY REACTIONS NEED PROTEINS

Reactions are catalyzed / kinetized by enzymes [All enzymes are proteins though the converse is not true].So, these are functional proteins unlike the structural building blocks.

MESSENGER ROLE

Hormones are signal providers [are proteins too] and help balanced ratios for steady state activity.

STRUCTURE PROVIDERS

Proteins- collagen, Keratin provide the typical frame work for respectively bones, ligaments and hairs

p H homeostasis

The above is simply upkeep of right pH in right place which is done by a buffering act of some proteins.

FLUID BALANCE

Albumin and Globulin are blood proteins which help fluid balancing by correct levels oh hydration.

IMMUNE UPKEEP

Antibodies are special proteins designed to combat proteins of invading bacteria / virus and destroy the latter before diseases spread in the body.

TRANSPORTERS

It is blood stream that delivers oxygen , cholesterol, Sugar , vitamins through protein carriers .

ENERGY PROVIDER IN EXIGENCY

Protein break down can liberate energy in low efficiency when carbohydrate sources are not in supply during starving.

So, proteins are vital for healthy living. It is enough if we rotate our vegetable intake by accommodating most vegetables without doing a palate-satiation exercise [of eating starchy potato] but serving our heath through protein supplements

GOOD LUCK

Prof .  K. Raman