Human body is the most advanced and amazing life form that nature has made after evolution of millions of years. Our body is a never ending, still adopting to environmental changes happening at such a faster pace vs the evolution time scale. The more we think we understand it after all the scientific advances in clinical science, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, metabolism, nutrient absorption, microbiome – the more mysteries we find, which is a never-ending quest. The sequencing of the human genome has expedited scientific research on increasing our understanding of how when 99.9% of DNA of all human beings is same, changes in just 0.1% of DNA explains all the differences we see between humans.
We have got 23 pairs of chromosomes. Each pair is made by one chromosome from both parents. We have got 46 such entities in each cell of our body. Our body has got around 37 trillion cells and all of them have exactly same DNA, but cells in different body parts differ a lot in function and look. What differs in DNA, even within cells is the gene-expression. Different type of cells in our body have different gene expression. Gene expression of every human being, even identical twins, is different which not only changes their appearance but also their growth, behavior, thinking, health and intellectual capabilities.
Nature refers largely to our genetics. It includes the genes we are born with and other hereditary factors that can impact how our personality is formed and influence the way that we develop from childhood through adulthood. Nurture encompasses the environmental factors that impact who we are. This includes our upbringing, the people we interact with, and our surrounding culture. Nutrition refers to the food we eat and how it affects our health and well-being. Food we eat can be divided into six groups: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. Nutrients our body absorbs from the food serve three purposes: Energy sources (carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins), Structural elements (proteins, minerals, and water), and regulatory elements (minerals, vitamins, and water). Ever since blue zones across the world have been identified where percentage of people living over 100 is high, interest in understanding factors in each blue zone to extend the health span and lifespan has intensified.
Epigenetics is an emerging new area of scientific research that shows how environmental influences actually affect the expression of the genes. For example, features of a person’s physical and social environment can effect which genes are switched-on, or “expressed”, rather than the DNA sequence of the genes themselves.
Stressors and memories can be passed through small RNA molecules to multiple generations of offspring in ways that meaningfully affect their health and behavior. Epigenetic effects can sometimes be passed from one generation to the next, although the effects only seem to last for a few generations. It is for this reason family history of any disease increases the probability of the next generation facing the same health challenges.
The role of nutrition on healthy life and age-related disease is widely accepted, yet we are far from a consensus on what type of nutrition affects our health span and lifespan. Fortunately, the nutrition response mechanisms affecting health and lifespan are quite well conserved in all species ranging from simple organisms to rodents to humans, making it possible to take advantage of both basic science and human studies to identify the type and levels of macronutrients and nutrition patterns that will be effective in regulating health, well-being and aging in most individuals. Soon, genomic analysis aided by artificial intelligence, will allow an even more sophisticated personalization of nutritional therapies.
It is now well established that diets that result in obesity can cause major increases in insulin resistance and the risk for diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease in humans. Latest scientific research is focusing on how macronutrient composition, levels, and source affect biomarkers and risk factors for aging and age-related diseases in humans. Our understanding of how biology interacts with the cultural aspects and the personal choices people make in their life’s journey is helping us develop better habits to live a healthy life.
Life on planet earth consists of atoms and molecules. Atoms are the smallest stable units of matter. They can combine to form molecules with complex shapes. The atomic components and unique three-dimensional shape of a particular molecule determine its function. Molecules play an essential role in the functioning of every cell, tissues and organs in our body including cellular respiration. Through this process, energy from food is converted into a form of chemical energy cells can use. About 99% of the mass of the human body is made up of six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. Only about 0.85% is composed of another five elements: potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium. Remaining 0.15% consists of other trace metals. Of the 92 natural elements in the periodic table (https://www.ptable.com/), about 25 are essential for life. A typical cell within us is made of trillions of atoms. Every moment within each of our cells, hundreds of millions of molecules are entering and exiting out of membranes. Thousands of genes are being locked and unlocked. The food we eat is digested in the GI track and absorbed by our body to provide raw materials of carbohydrates, amino acids from proteins, fatty acids from lipids, minerals, vitamins and water via the blood to each cell in our body. Each cell in our body is a continuous manufacturing system controlling its own maintenance, reproduction and death. We are composed of around 37 trillion cells – more cells than there are stars in the milky way. Our brain manages all the communication within as well as between all cells constituting different tissues and organs. Can we ever build a computer to match our brain? The greatest challenge of all is to explain how our consciousness, spirituality, language, thought and emotions emerge from our atoms, molecules and cells. Will science ever offer an answer? Advances in development of new tools and assays using artificial intelligence will hopefully help in further enhancing our understanding of the human body as well as levels of various biomarkers of early disease detection and prevention in the coming decades.
Dr. Om Dhingra,
President Dhingra Family Foundation.