PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN HUMANS??
As we should all remember form our biology class photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert sun light into energy through chroloplasts (a type of plant cells containing chlorophyll). So of course this process is unique to plants and certain bacteria… or is it???
I was absolutely fascinated when I read the following studies that prove that humans most likely can also convert energy from the sun:
- Firstly it has been proven that MELANIN (the hormone that help us tan) breaks the paradigm of being able to dissociate and re-form the water molecule. This means that humans also have the amazing ability to transform the photon energy into chemical energy, in other words we are able to photosyntesize!! And melanin is also thousands of times more efficient in doing so that chlorophyll (1). So we could say that melanin is to the animal kingdom what chlorophyll is to the plant kingdom. The Human Photosynthesis Study Center claims that one-third of the energy available to a human being is produced by melanin absorbing electromagnetic radiation and splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen to produce energy. If this claim turns out to be valid, it could have tremendous implications in our understanding of life processes, cellular processes, human health and disease (2). This implies that we might not only be getting all our energy from glucose but light may play a part in it too.
- Secondly this revolutionary study (3) shows that animal mitochondria (or energy producing organelles) are able to capture light and synthesize the energy molecule ATP when mixed with chlorophyll (the light-capturing metabolite found in plants (specially the dark green ones)). This is achieved by the power of chlorophyll to catalyze the reduction of coenzyme Q10 (which is a pivotal enzyme for energy production in the body). These results were found in mouse and sheep but are nonetheless amazing. They also found chlorophyll-derived metabolites in rat plasma and fat extracts after 20-46minutes of eating a chlorophyll rich diet, which shows how light can penetrate the tissues and interact with this green pigment. In humans on a clear day the temporal bone of the skull and the scalp attenuate only 50% of the light. So light would be able to stimulate chlorophyll metabolites in organs and muscle and fat tissue.
- This same study also shows that these metabolites stimulated by the sun could have a potent anti-ageing effect as seen in the study done with C. elegans (a type or worm commonly used in scientific experiments). The group of worms treated with chlorophyll and light showed a significantly lower levels of ROS (a marker for oxidation and hence ageing) and a 17% longer life span. And this was only achieved when combining the two, which means that light or chlorophyll alone didn’t achieve these results.
- To conclude the study, even though little is still known about the effects of chlorophyll in humans, it is suggested that animals also possess metabolic pathways to drive energy directly from sunlight and that perhaps the benefit of sun exposure and green vegetable consumption go beyond an increase in vitamin D levels and antioxidants.
A big tree only uses about 200 calories a day (4) so it is well able to be sustained simply with sun and water, as we move about our energy expenditure is greatly increased, however if we were able to get some calories from the sun, wouldn’t that be a big help? Would that be an explanation for breatharianism? Would that explain why we usually feel less hungry on a sunny summer day? Or even why we feel much more energetic on a bright day?
After knowing all this, what other excuse do you need to eat your greens? Next time someone asks you why you need to top up your greens intake simply told them that you need them for your photosynthesis. Or next time someone asks you why is it that you have so much energy on a plant-based diet the answer might be that you get it all from photosynthesis. They might think you are crazy but that’s when you explain the science and teach the world about how amazing life truly is!!
Love, peace & greens
STAY tunned, STAY plant-based and STAY healthy! ;)
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