Science of Love

I write this blog to surprise the readers and to give the unexpected!

Let’s talk about love, specifically the science of love. We all experience in various forms. How we love and are loved makes us who we are. Let me explain scientifically that special love we feel for that special someone. I hope this was unexpected to the readers of this science blog.

Love is the complex cascade of emotions that one experiences when you meet someone special. In my view, love is a complicated feeling or emotion resulted by a complex set of hormonal reactions. These reactions are triggered by our senses and perception that ends with a well-directed result oriented action. There is plethora of research data available to conclude that humans smell out potential partners. This involves pheromones. Pheromones are chemicals that act like hormones outside the body that affect behaviour or physiology. During this process, research suggests that humans tend to choose the most MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) incompatible individuals.

MHC1 and MHC2 are also involved in immune responses and are responsible for protecting the body against various infections. MHC might play a key role in protecting against novel virus COVID-19 and more research is required in this area.

Then, there are a cocktail of hormones; oxytocin, cortisol, adrenaline, and dopamine that work together to construct a well (love)-directed action. Oxytocin is the most potent of all and it helps maintain psychological boundaries and interpersonal relationships. It is interesting to note that a mere eye contact between humans is enough to secrete this love hormone and it is no surprise that it is a feel good hormone. While cortisol is responsible for all the curiousity, anxiety, and tension people feel when they are in love, adrenaline is the real culprit that induces the increase in heart beats, rate of respiration and, sweaty palms when you meet someone you hold special interest.

Another interesting fact as to why one ignores career and other important things in life during this stage is correlated to high levels of dopamine. This increased dopamine causes short-term memory loss, hyperactivity, sleeplessness, and loss of focus on everything else. This is also related to obsessive-compulsive disorder and explains why those in love have possessiveness about their partners. Low levels of serotonin and testosterone was also observed from individuals in love. This has a significant effect and related to the above mentioned behavior. The last but not least, “endorphins” are released in your body when you are in love and is responsible for “on-the-top-of-the-world feeling”.  

Is it possible, if these hormones are ever to be integrated into robotics and artificial intelligence? What if such system could feel and express love?

– Dr Sandanamudi Anudeep

Water

Water is an essential component of human nutrition. It is advised to drink 2-3 liters of water every day. But this is just the introduction to this topic. Let me take you on a virtual tour of water called virtual water (credit: Prof Tony Allan).

There is a definite amount of water utilized by crops (plant) to give the harvest (food). For example to produce one apple; an apple tree utilizes 70 liters of water; similarly, a cup of black tea would require 28 liters of water.

When we consume foods, we are also consuming water in its virtual form. Hence, by consuming the foods with more virtual water there is economic and environmental burden on water resources. It won’t be surprising if future agricultural policies were based on the virtual water since water is an expensive natural resource.

This knowledge also helps consumers and agriculturists to choose upon the food/ crops in the interest of the nation. Virtual water for different foods is not universally constant and changes according to technology and resources. I will not go into much detail, but for your reference, to produce 1 kg of potatoes, India needs 321 liters of virtual water, UAE requires 351 liters, and France requires 150 liters. Interestingly, pulses and millets has less water footprint per ton (m3/ ton) for the proteins they produce (215 g/ kg). This gives us a hint on the rich protein source with less virtual water (less environmental and economic burden). Hence, it is possible to reduce water foot print by changing the food habits which in turn benefits the economic development of the nation.

Apart from policies, this article also gives insight and understanding to not to waste food; because in doing so, we are also saving virtual water i.e., earth’s most valuable natural resource – Water.

Author – Dr. Sandanamudi Anudeep

Dinner

Including healthy fats in your dinner recipe is excellent. Our body utilizes fats overnight for growth and repair. We can go easy on carbohydrates as well. There is no need to avoid carbs for dinner. A balanced dinner plan would be whole-wheat chapatis, vegetables, salad, meat, and fish. 

Some of the must-add items to your overall diet would be:

Blended oil – change oil type once every 3 months, sweet potatoes, walnuts, almonds, flax seeds, eggs, meat.

Recommended amount of daily nutrition is as follows:

NutritionMenWomen
Energy (kcal)25002000
Protein (g)5545
Fat (g)12590
Carbohydrates (g)420320
Fiber (g)2824
Salt (g)66

These blogs is an attempt to inform about nutrition and to clear misconceptions on what to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Please stay tuned for new interesting articles. Please feel free to write to me and let me know what you would like to see in this blog in the future.

What to eat for Lunch?

In the previous article, we talked about breakfast nutrition. Today, let’s talk about lunch and what to eat for lunch.

Lunch should comprise of lean proteins and high-fiber starchy carbohydrates. Lean proteins are proteins with less than 10 grams of total fat.

The science behind this recommendations is, carbohydrate-rich food delivers continuous energy and we do not feel sleepy post lunch. Avoid sugary white foods. There is a huge difference between starchy, carbohydrate food and sugary food.

Diet options: A small portion of rice, whole wheat, barley, spiced nuts, spiced seeds, popcorn.

Note for readers: People generally crave salty food in the afternoon.

These articles are to simplify nutrition. Please feel free to write to me and let me know what you would like to see in this blog in the future.

Breakfast – Why it’s STILL the most important meal of the day

It is often said “We become what we eat”.

Cells in our body are replaced within a month’s time. The carbon backbone, nitrogen base, and other essential elements that make up the cells are typically and bio chemically made from the food we eat.  Hence, the above statement of “We become what we eat” holds true.

Oftentimes, we miss the opportunity to replace the lost cells with the right molecules by not eating healthy.

Does our body suffer too much when it does not get the right nutrients?

Yes. Sometimes, the damage done by such modern eating habits becomes irreversible.

In this article, let’s talk about breakfast nutrition.

As many of you are not sure on what breakfast should constitute? The answer is it should be rich in proteins. The science is simple; proteins are slow to digest and slow the stomach from being empty. A protein-rich breakfast typically keeps us full and we crave less for food for the rest of the day. A breakfast rich in proteins also boosts metabolism since proteins require more calories to digest than carbohydrates.

Your breakfast should be low on carbs and one can also add a mid-morning snack to boost metabolism.

Diet options: Millets rich in proteins (millet dosa/ any millet dish), low-fat dairy products, eggs, or fish. Metamofs (a high-protein formulation rich in antioxidants developed by the author) are a great option.

Notes for readers:

People who regularly eat breakfast weigh less than those who skip it.

Advice:

Please consult a certified nutritionist for nutrition advice.

Stay tuned for nutritional recommendations for lunch in the next blog!

By: Dr. Sandanamudi Anudeep, Chief Scientist and Co-founder, Dhriti Bio Solutions.