India’s cattle racism

[This post is a reaction on strengthening of laws banning beef trade in India]

There exists a ‘cattle-racist’ tendency among our society to discriminate between cows and buffaloes. This sentiment manifests as regional laws geared towards preferential treatment of cows. Thus, beef (cow-meat) trade is banned but carabeef (buffalo-meat) trade is permitted. Over time, the practice of this law (and our palate for hig-fat milk) has led to ‘buffaloization’ of India’s cattle spectrum. 

Lets assume that economics drives most of the decision making in a free market. With this assumption it becomes preferable for a farmer to rear buffalo for milk, as it can be sold to the slaughterhouse when it grows old and(or) turns un-productive, thus generating extra income. Whereas, since the unproductive cows cannot be sold for slaughter, there would be an extra-cost associated with it. Thus over time the market would favor production of buffaloes. In fact, most of the cattle dense states (PB, HR, UP, AP) already have more buffaloes than cows! Pure cow milk, today, is difficult to find in the market.

Thus, rather than strengthening the old laws which discriminate between buffaloes and cows, there needs to be a plan such that India’s cattle diversity is maintained. India needs a strategic cattle policy.

Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh constitute the 'Buffalo Belt' of India

Infographic of relative populations of cattle and buffaloes in different states of India.

Data source and analysis:

Data was obtained from the 18th Live Stock Census, Department of animal husbandry, dairying & fisheries, of the ministry of agriculture. Census data was analyzed using the normalized log-ratio method. The log of ratio of cattle to buffalo was normalized to values between 0 and 1. Normalized values were assigned an RGB color value using the colorRamp package in R (http://cran.r-project.org/). White-red and white-blue color ramps were assigned to positive and negative log-ratios respectively.

Some notable patterns:

• Hilly states (JK, HP, UK, North-eastern states) have more cattle as compared to buffaloes.
• States with water scarcity (TN, KA, MH, MP, OR etc.) have lower no. of buffaloes as compared to cattle.
• GJ, RJ and AP (relatively dry/plain states) are the most balanced in terms of cattle and buffaloes.
• Northern states with plenty of access to water and ponds (PB, HR and UP) have the highest number of buffaloes. Thus, actually making up the buffalo belt of India.

Thoughts, Action --> Behavior! 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' is Kahneman's review of how psychology explains our decisions.

Science is so much more fun when presented in a form of a non-fiction novel-like book. I recently read 'Thinking, fast and slow' by Daniel Kahneman, which I had bought more than a year back at the Heathrow airport. It was a best-seller and I had a long desire to read something on psychology, which prompted me to bye the book standing out in the bestseller section. But not until recently could I catch up on my reading backlog (thanks to infinite free time I have after defending my Ph.D. dissertation). Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of my best reading experiences. The book could be described as a massive review of scientific literature in behavioral psychology.

I had never thought that a subject like psychology could be so intricately linked with decision making and economics. Kahneman and Tversky (the author's collaborator) laid solid foundations in the field of 'behavioral economics' with their simple yet sound  experiments. Starting with basic concepts of heuristics (loose pointers which enable us to reach a decision) and biases, the book introduces the reader to the complexity of decision making. The theory is convincing enough on how our intuitive judgements and decisions are risky 'chances' at best or irrational and harmful at worst. Kahneman educates the reader with the works of several scientists and theorists, in a simple language and giving utmost credit to the experimenters. Reading the book, I realized how ignorant we are about the irrationality or biasness of our judgements and decisions. Furthermore, one can only imagine on how much of psychology has Kahnemann seen develop before his eyes.

The author vastly uses astounding examples, problems and tasks to keep the reader involved throughout the book. Most complex concepts are kept short and succinct, beautifully avoiding the details. Once started, it's difficult to keep the book aside. But as one review rightly suggests "buy it fast. read it slowly.", to maximize the benefit from the book it is indeed helpful to read it slowly. I found it good to read a maximum of 2-3 chapters daily, which helps the concepts sink in. The book is also very nicely organized and divided into small chapters. It is a must read for almost anyone from all walks of life. My personal favorite chapters were on anchors, regression to the mean and rare events. Read the book to know more on what they mean!

BOOK REVIEW: ‘THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES - A BIOGRAPHY OF CANCER’ BY SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE

[May contain spoilers]

Most of the reviews of this book I read describe the work as compassionate, humane and engrossing. The book's description itself very rightly says that the author "examines cancer with a cellular biologist's precision, a historian's perspective and a biographer's passion". However, my attempt here would be to give a glimpse of the magnitude of work it really is.

The book starts with the father of modern chemotherapy - Sidney Farber’s discovery of aminopterin (a folic acid analog) in 1947, which caused remissions in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Using this point as the axis, Siddhartha Mukherjee (SM) dissects both flanges of history, moving back and forth through the ages with utmost deliberation. The challenge for any science writer is two-fold, i.e. to capture the interest of a lay man and that of an expert. SM is an expert in explaining the origin of complex medical jargons sometime diving into etymology to develop a neat context. Even the core statistical principles and epidemiological approaches are expounded upon vividly.

In the subsequent chapters, he carefully steers us through the political turns in the journey of cancer. He talks in detail about the contribution of Laskerites & Jimmy fund. SM also takes us through the birth and journey of the national cancer institute and various personalities of the cancer world.

How the seeds of cancer are knitted with our lifestyles is also covered in good detail. Special chapters are dedicated to carcinogens, smoking and the prevention of cancer. How the tobacco industry lobbying operated in the late half of twentieth century and the role of media advertisements. I particularly liked the legal aspect of anti-tobacco campaign, and the story of how the tobacco advertisements actually faded out of public life, after years of legal battles.

SM tracks the rise and descent of various theories of cancer over time. He gives a lucid coverage of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery starting appropriately from the humble beginnings, e.g he starts tracing the development of radiation therapy right from Madame Curie's discovery of radium and the idea of chemotherapy coming from chemicals of war. From the first chemotherapeutic drug - methotrexate to targeted drugs like Herceptin and Gleevec, in the later part of the book SM transitions to the genetic level acridly describing the complexities of DNA and proteins in common language.

In the last chapter of the book, he makes a cataclysmic attempt to connect all the dots. He traces the ancient queen Attosa's illness of breast cancer travelling through time from 2500 BCE to the 2000s and gives insights on her prognosis in different phases of history. Although it sums up the history/biography of cancer till date, one would have to read the whole book to see the bigger picture SM has put forth. It is definitely a worthy reading for anyone who has even a passing interest in science.

Fasting Metabolism & Political Activism

[This article has been submitted to American Society for Nutrition as a blog]

Anna Hazare, an anti-corruption activist in India, has been sitting on indefinite fast since the last eleven days. Being a Gandhian by philosophy he applies non-violent means of protest to raise his concerns. I have been closely following on the developments since his fast began and therefore was tempted to write this blog about fasting metabolism.

Fasting as a political tool has been used since a long time and was popularized by Mahatma Gandhi whose longest fasts went up to a period of three weeks. Since then it continues to inspire many activists throughout the world, one of the famous being Kieran Doherty's hunger-strike in Northern Ireland which lasted 73 days!

Anna Hazare during his indefinite fast at Ramlila Maidan.

So, how long can a person stay alive with only water and no food?

A general estimate for a normal healthy male would be about 35-40 days, however there have been no controlled studies in this direction due to obvious ethical reasons. The survival would of course largely vary between individuals, depending on their genetic makeup, body condition, age and other factors. Females could survive much longer than males owing to a higher fat to protein ratio (since fats are more calorie dense than proteins). When the body is depleted of exogenous nutrients, it starts mobilizing the fat and protein stores to meet maintenance energy needs. Calorically speaking, a person could survive as long as all the fat and protein reserves last, however once the micronutrients such as vitamins become limiting, survival is compromised.

Exogenous glucose lasts for up to 5 hrs once fasting has commenced. Once all the glucose is depleted, the energy needs of metabolism are met by glucose derived from glycogen stored in the liver and muscle. Glucose from glycogen can serve as a dominant energy source for up to 1 d, after which renal and hepatic gluconeogenesis from adipose fat and muscle protein start taking over.

The liver converts fats into ketone bodies, mainly β-hydroxy butyrate and acetoacetate, a process called ketosis. The capability of long-term survival in humans really depends on the adaptability of human brain to utilize these ketone bodies as the main energy source. The glycerol produced on release of free fatty acids can directly be used for gluconeogenesis.

After two days of starvation, about 60% of the glucose is supplied by liver. The main sources for glucose synthesis in liver are alanine from muscle, glycerol from lipolysis and recycled lactate and pyruvate. The remaining 40% of glucose needs is met by the kidney using glycerol from adipose and glutamine from muscle. A prolonged starvation might be fatal mainly due to organ failure, as is the case in anorexia.

Ancient medicinal systems like Ayurveda recommend short term fasting to detoxify and purge the body of unwanted chemicals. There can also be several physiological benefits from short-term fasting. Large amount of literature is now available to show the significance of calorie restriction in extending life span. Other benefits of fasting could be lower risk of heart diseases and higher insulin sensitivity. Fasting is also used as a spiritual tool to turn one's mind inwards into introspection and self-inquiry, and thus is practiced in many religions. However, there can be various associated side effects like nausea, headaches and muscle aches, and therefore a physician’s advice is recommended.

I would like to end with a quote by Mark Twain which says, "A little starvation can really do more for the average sick man than can the best medicines and the best doctors."

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References:

http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.nutr.26.061505.111258

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-long-can-a-person-sur&page=2

http://blogs.plos.org/obesitypanacea/2011/05/13/the-science-of-starvation-how-long-can-humans-survive-without-food-or-water/

Image from:

http://www.freepressjournal.in/tfp_cms/gall_content/2011/8/2011_8$largeimg217_Aug_2011_202432967.jpg

ADSA-ASAS Joint Annual Meeting in New Orleans (July 10 -14)

Link to my blog for American Society for Nutrition

Oil of the future: Nutritionally Enhanced Soybean Oil with Omega-3 Fatty Acid

Abbreviations: EPA (Eicosopentaenoic acid); DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid); ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid); SDA (Stearidonic acid)

Rarely do you get a chance to try a product which has not yet been released in the market. At the media breakfast sponsored by Solae, we got just that - Soymega^TM Muffins! This blog covers the highlights of ASN’s pre-conference satellite symposium: ‘Heart Healthy Omega-3s for Food: Stearidonic Acid as a Sustainable Choice’. The conference was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Solae and Monsanto.

Omega-3s are long chain fatty acid which allow efficient working of fishes in cold environments. However, they are of many different types and their functionality greatly varies. Main source of animal based omega-3s is seafoods (tuna & salmon being most common in US) which provide EPA and DHA, and that of plant origin is flaxseed, walnuts etc. The problem with plant-based sources is that they provide ALA, which is not efficiently converted to EPA & DHA (more useful forms of omega-3s) in the body. Solae's SDA-soybean has been nutritionally enhanced to provide higher omega-3 in food. It has already been given GRAS status and will be commercially available by 2012, pending regulatory approval.

The symposium started with Dr. Richard J. Deckelbaum’s presentation explaining the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids which include promoting infant growth (brain and eye development) during pregnancy, delaying onset of neurological depression in elders and preventing cardiovascular diseases by reducing aortic lipid deposition. He also gave a brief overview of how the SDA enriched soybean was engineered by adding two genes (from primrose and bread mold) to express SDA, which bypasses the rate limiting step in the body and converts more efficiently to EPA.

Dr. Eileen Kennedy focussed on the environmental aspects and RDA guidelines by pointing out how Americans in general were getting just 25% of the requirements and that seafood consumption had been recommended to be increased from 3 ounces to 8 ounces per week, replacing the meat and poultry sources. The recommended daily intake of omega-3s in US is 250 mg/day as compared to 400 mg/day in the UK. She also said, “SDA soybeans are a viable plant-based solution to increasing dietary omega-3 intakes”.

The mechanisms of action of omega-3s are still largely unexplored. Studies indicate that there could be a direct function by activating a transcription factor or by a much indirect action of changes in cell membrane phospholipids composition. Dr. William Harris spoke about the challenges of having 'nutrition biased' foods comparing SDA-soybean to iodine salt and other fortified foods.

Usually, omega-3 index is used to estimate its levels in the body which is a ratio of amount of EPA & DHA to total fatty acids. Current levels in the American population are 3.5-4 as compared to a target level of 8-10. SDA-soybean has been shown to significantly increase the omega-3 index in humans.

Other advantages of SDA-soybean were also highlighted as it has a better oxidative stability as compared to EPA/DHA and soybeans in general have a good anti-oxidant protection leading to better shelf-life. It also does not significantly impact flavor or taste, which could be an upper hand given the formulation difficulties with seafoods.

Overall, the symposium was quite enlightening and the speakers included some of the world’s best experts in omega-3 research.

[This blog was originally meant for submission to American Society for Nutrition following on Experimental Biology meeting in April 2011]