"Unimportant" Molecules?-Part 1

Abstract

About a century ago when research into the nutritional components of food began, scientists were limited by the technology and physiological understanding of the time. Nonetheless, this pioneering research revealed the importance of many nutrients for the maintenance of life and prevention of overt deficiency diseases. Unfortunately, the necessary simplifications led to the unrecognized assumption that the constituents in food not required for life were not important. This justified growing food chemically rather than organically because essential nutrients were largely (but not entirely) conserved. However, as technology advanced-especially at the turn of this century-much was revealed. Nutrients considered single molecules when discovered were now realized to represent multiple variants and vitamers with significantly different physiological effects, and many of the molecules considered "unimportant" have huge impacts on health and resistance to disease.

Figure 1.

Uteruses from Pregnant Rats with Standard Rat Diet Compared to Vitamin E Deficient Diet

Figure 2.

Vitamin E Isomers

Figure 3.

Folic Acid and Folates

Figure 4.

Folates in the Diet Bypass MTHFR

Figure 5.

Tomatoes Grown Chemically Have Dramatically Lower Levels of Flavonoids Compared to Those Grown Organically

Figure 6.

Beneficial Physiological Effects of the Terpenoid Limonene

Figure 7.

Correlation Between Polyphenol Intake and Survival

Figure 8.

Quercetin Binds to Spike Protein and Inhibits 3CLpro and PLpro