Author Archives: andrew siu

Shortcuts to Weight Loss: The Risk-Benefit Analysis of Weight Loss Supplements

With the busy lives that humans now occupy within society, like post-secondary students during exam season for example, balanced and nutritional dietary and exercise are often disregarded or not of a major priority. As a result, the body begins to accumulate fats to act as a storage for excess energy from the foods we eat and thus leads to a case in what society would call “overweight”. The extreme case would result in obesity and this has been a growing concern (and a rather sensitive topic to some) over the past years because excessive body weight is associated with various cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, asthma, and overall, a reduction in life expectancy. However, there is one suggestion that is portrayed by media and human society that is supposedly a shortcut to this problem: weight loss supplements.

Weight loss supplements contain common active ingredients such as bitter orange (synephrine), chromium, guar gum, and Hoodia(1). Synephrine, the main composition of bitter orange, works to suppress appetite and increase the rate of metabolism, thus increasing the number of calories burned (1). Chromium is a mineral that helps to regulate insulin and helps promote muscle growth and fat reduction and guar gum helps block absorption of fats in the body and increase the feeling of fullness whereas Hoodia temporarily suppresses your appetite (1).

Although these active ingredients and their functionality seem to be the solution to obesity, there are many side effects. First of all, synephrine is very similar to ephedrine (see Figure 1), a banned stimulating drug by the Food and Drug Administration due to implications with stroke, heart attacks, and hypertensions, in chemical structure and have many similar characteristics (2).

blog-3-image-1

Figure 1: Chemical structure of synephrine compared to ephedrine

Secondly, although chromium exists naturally in our bodies and certain foods, the intake of excessive chromium is disadvantageous because chromium, like other heavy metals, is rather toxic to the human body even at low concentrations. Moreover, although guar gum and Hoodia (Figure 2) work in synch to suppress the production of fats for excessive energy storage as a result from eating food, the overall results are still not proven and can potentially lead to malnutrition (1).

blog-3-image-2ablog-3-image-2b

Figure 2: Chemical structure of guar gum (top) and Hoodia (bottom)

To note, a research by Eichner, Maguire, Shea, and Fete have determined that many weight loss supplements are still on the market today that contain other ingredients that are banned due to psychiatric issues and complications with the cardiovascular and nervous system (3). Other ingredients that are not banned but are subject to caution and consumer knowledge are also present in many weight loss supplements(3).

In conclusion, although shortcuts are available to everyday medical conditions such as obesity, there are also many drawbacks to such methods. The optimum method would be the natural method of weight loss which involves a balanced nutritional dietary and exercise, despite how busy our lives may be or what telemarketers or advertisements tell you.

-Andrew Siu

References

Eichner, S., Maguire, M., Shea, L.A., and Fete, M. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association 2016, 5, 538.

Fitday. How do weight loss pills work in the body?  http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/how-do-weight-loss-pills-work-in-the-body.html (accessed Oct. 31, 2016).

Google Patents. Pharmaceutical compositions having appetite suppressant activity. http://www.google.com/patents/US7166611 (accessed Oct. 31, 2016)

Nutrient Journal. Is bitter orange fruit (citrus aurantum as synephrine) new ephedra? http://nutrientjournal.com/is-bitter-orange-fruit-citrus-aurantum-as-synephrine-new-ephedra/ (accessed Oct.31, 2016).

Sci-Toys. Guar gum. http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/guar_gum.html (accessed Oct. 31, 2016).

If Organic Molecules Were Human: NanoPutians

Although killer clown sightings are the main topic of discussion these past few weeks, there is one thing aspect in chemistry that is just as weird and creepy (because it is Halloween month): NanoPutians. NanoPutians were first introduced to me in my Chem 218 class and are defined as synthetic organic molecules that resemble human forms which include but are not limited to: athletes, monarchs, bakers, and chefs.

The process begins with the synthesis of a NanoKid which provides the structural backbone for the various forms of NanoPutians. This is carried out in two multistep reactions with the upper portion which includes the head and body and the lower portion which includes the waist and legs synthesized separately as shown (1):

nanoputian-upper-body

nanoputian-lower-body

The upper and the lower portions are then joined via a Pd/Cu catalyzed coupling reaction to yield the NanoKid as shown (1):

nanokid

Microwave radiation, in the presence of a 1,2 or a 1,3 diol, is the methodology for the “head-conversion reaction” of a NanoKid to yield the series of NanoPutians (1). Depending on the reaction conditions, the NanoPutian could resemble that of an athlete (NanoAthlete), a pilgrim (NanoPilgrim), a Green Beret (NanoGreenBeret), a jester (NanoJester), a monarch (NanoMonarch), a Texan (NanoTexan), a scholar (NanoScholar), a baker (NanoBaker), or a chef (NanoChef) as shown (1):

nanokid-conversion-reaction

Furthermore, if you are not satisfied with the diversity, miscellaneous reactions that do not implement a NanoKid backbone can yield NanoToddlers and NanoBalletDancers. A NanoPutian Chain can also be synthesized, with modifications to the synthesis of the upper portion of the NanoPutian to yield an AB polymer configuration, to resemble individual NanoPutians “holding hands” and to symbolize multinanolism and peace on NanoEarth (okay I’ll admit I made that up) as shown (1):

nanoputian-chain

Now you may ask yourself: “Who funds this kind of research?”, “Why would anyone invest their time on this?”, or “What is the significance in learning about NanoPutians to the scientific community?”. Truth be told, there is no known significance (yet), in terms of chemical and practical applications, which may explain the limited research in this area (2). However, the synthesis of NanoPutians contributes a significant role in aspiring the younger generations in science and more specifically, the field of chemistry (2). And sometimes, we tend to forget how important that really is. If scientific advancements are to be made in the future (and one can only predict what the future will look like), the younger generations must be inspired by science and motivated to learn more in order to solve the problems and answer the questions, that we could not, about the world we live in.

-Andrew Siu

Chem 300 Section 109

References

Chanteau, S., Tour, J. Synthesis of Anthropomorphic Molecules: The NanoPutians. Journal of Organic Chemistry 2003, 68, 8750.

NanoPutians. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NanoPutian (accessed Oct. 8, 2016).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buyer Beware: What You Should Know About Organic Food Products

There has been a lot of hype and excitement over organic foods and the health benefits associated with “going organic” these past few years. However, one particular experience recently has made me question whether or not the whole “organic movement” is well portrayed to the public or if it is just overrated in general.

One day while at work, a customer comes up to me and asks if we carried frozen organic hamburgers. My initial thought was “Huh, do they even sell such a thing in general?”. But because I have not seen any types of organic frozen hamburgers for sale at any point I have worked or shopped at my workplace, I kindly told her that we, unfortunately, do not carry such a product and that was the end of that conversation. Or at least I thought so. This customer proceeds to ask why we do not carry organic frozen hamburgers and that we should carry it because organic products are, according to her, “healthier and will help you live a longer life”. First of all, that statement is pretty contradictory to me. If one wants to be healthy and eat healthier, frozen hamburgers wouldn’t be on my list of healthy foods to eat. Secondly, how can one conclude that eating organic “will help you live a longer life”? But due to the time restrictions and the ridiculousness of the conversation, I did not ask how one would reach such a conclusion and kindly told the customer that I would make a suggestion to my manager when convenient and that was the end of the conversation (for real this time).

Since then, I have been read a few online articles on organic foods to further educate myself about organic food products and there was one particular article titled “The Dirty Truth About ‘Organic’ Produce” by Henry Miller(5) I found to be very interesting as it summarized my opinions about organic foods in general. Keep in mind I call it an opinion because there is still extensive research and studies made on the difference between organic and conventional food products. This article argues that the idea of organic food products may be misinterpreted by the public and that there may even be further risks when compared to conventional food products.

It seems as if the public classifies organic foods as being “pesticide-free”, but that is not the case. The term “organic” allows for an arbitrarily defined set of principles and techniques to implement the use “natural” pesticides and approved chemical pesticides. In other words, although conventional food products implement the use of synthetic chemical pesticides, organic food products also implement the use of pesticides that pose the same health risks because “organic” pesticides do not just disappear(5). Qualitatively, when comparing the toxic effects of synthetic pesticides to organic pesticides, a research has shown that the exposure to synthetic pesticides are negligible when introduced in small doses such as that in the residues of conventional food products and are only significant when exposed in large doses such as to those working in agriculture(3).

Although some experiments and studies have shown that organic foods contain higher levels of antioxidant and metabolites(2), their actual benefits, if there exists any at all, is unknown and required more scientific investigation(5). Moreover, even with higher levels of antioxidant and metabolites, it is important to note that one trade-off with organic food products is that organic food products are more likely subject to contamination than conventional food products from external sources(4,5). How often do you hear stories on social media about a woman finding a spider inside her organic apple or organic food products being recalled due to E. Coli or Salmonella contamination?

Furthermore, organic farming methods are not as beneficial to the economy compared to conventional farming methods. The cost of processing organic food products which includes providing fertility, weed control, pest control, and disease control combined with the overall reduced yield compared to conventional farming methods is neither efficient nor reliable to the agricultural industry(6). This is also evident because if organic farming methods were more reliable and efficient, one would simply observe a massive upscale movement from conventional farming methods to organic farming methods, but that is not the case(5).

chem-300-blog-image

Figure 1: Willingness of Consumers to Pay for Organic Products (1).

In conclusion, organic food products tend to be overrated and do not live up to their standards because of misinterpretations by the public, the potential for increased health risks, and the overall cost-benefit factor in comparison to conventional food products. So next time when shopping, think about whether you really want to pay a few extra dollars for the organic food product- something that is probably only good for bragging to your neighbors about.

Andrew Siu

Chem 300 109

References

  1. Batte, M. et al. Putting their money where their mouths are: Consumer willingness to pay for multi-ingredient, processed organic food product 2007, 2, 145.
  2. Brandt, K., Molgard, J.P. Organic agriculture: does it enhance or reduce the nutritional value of plant foods? 2001, 9, 924.
  3. Holzman, D. PESTICIDES. Organic Food Conclusions Don’t Tell the Whole Story 2012, 12, A458.
  4. Grob, K. et al. Food Contamination with Organic Materials in Perspective: Packing Materials as the Largest and Least Controlled Source? A View Focusing on the European Situation 2007, 1, 529.
  5. Miller, H. The Dirty Truth About ‘Organic’ Produce 2015, 1, 1.
  6. Richards, T. The Economics of the Organic Food Sysytem: Discussion 2011, 2, 322.