Academy of Sciences of Heroesland

Oh, I see that the conversation has turned to biochemistry. I'll try to add my humble two cents as someone who has about ten biochemistry lectures a week and spends a few more hours in the lab. Firstly, what exactly is food? For us, food performs two main functions: energetic and plastic. The first is the provision of substances (primarily carbohydrates, and to a lesser extent fats; proteins are used for this only in extreme cases) that are oxidized and provide energy for muscle contraction, nerve cell function, and many other processes, i.e., maintaining our life at the moment. This is essentially the purpose of introducing glucose. The second function is the replacement of the organic matter that makes up our body (primarily proteins) with newly synthesized material. If we neglect the second function and consume, say, only glucose, we can certainly survive, but it won't lead to anything good. Similarly, if we eat only proteins, it will be difficult for the body to break them down, and there will be many byproducts and other things... This is a simplified explanation, and we could talk about this for a very long time. And, of course, a whole complex of vitamins, micro- and macroelements is also needed, without which things will also be difficult. Secondly, let's say we create a mega-pill containing everything a person needs for complete nutrition. But it's far from certain that all of this will be absorbed in our intestines. Natural food contains many components that are not actually needed, but improve digestion – such as cellulose, pectin, etc. Plus, different substances can interfere with each other's absorption, especially vitamins and microelements. And thirdly, there is a concept called stereoisomerism of biomolecules. I don't want to go into detail (I have enough of that in university :rolleyes:), but in chemical synthesis, a racemic mixture (a mixture of isomers) is obtained, which is very difficult to separate, while in living organisms, there is a strictly defined form. Scientists have not yet learned to do what living creatures have been doing with great precision for millions of years. So, if we are to obtain missing food resources from somewhere, it should not be from chemical synthesis, but from transgenic bacteria or plants, which is what scientists are currently doing in an attempt to feed the starving part of humanity. Of course, there are also nuances and drawbacks here... *anticipates a GMO debate*