With the “official” arrival of Spring, many can’t help but notice the beauty of the new blooms and plants that surround us. It’s during this time that I’m often reminded of the incredible link between plant life and our own.
Essentially, what one life form produces as a byproduct is required by the other to sustain life. This is a clue to how intricately the life forms on earth are connected to each other, where everything that is required for our bodies to function optimally is found in nature. This is especially evident in looking at the processes that both plants and animal life undergo in order to produce energy. While plants produce food and energy through photosynthesis, both animals and plants create energy through a process called cellular respiration.
What is Photosynthesis?
Unlike members of the animal kingdom, plants are able to produce their own food through a process called photosynthesis. During this process, chlorophyll, the green pigments in the plants, absorb energy in the form of light from the sun and combines it with water and carbon dioxide to produce glucose, which plants use to make cellulose to strengthen their cellular walls and proteins that aid the plants in growing and healing any damage that may occur. As a byproduct of this process, plants produce oxygen.
The equation for this process is:
6 CO2 + 6 H20 + Light energy C6H12O6 – 6 O2 – 6 H2O
Like all living things, plants need energy to be alive. Therefore, energy must be created at the cellular level to sustain life through a process called respiration. The fact that plants can convert light energy to the chemical energy of food is amazing.
What is Cellular Respiration in Plants?
Whether or not plants are exposed to light, respiration is always taking place at the cellular level to produce energy, which is the exact opposite of the photosynthesis process. Rather than the cells using water and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen, glucose and oxygen are used to produce water, carbon dioxide, and energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which are key reactants in the photosynthesis process. Both processes, photosynthesis, and respiration are engaged in a continuous cycle that is needed to keep the plants alive.
What is Cellular Respiration in Humans?
Humans create ATP through cellular respiration as well, using the oxygen that we inhale that is released by plants. As in plants, the first step in cellular respiration is glycolysis, a process where glucose is enzymatically broken down into energy or metabolized. When oxygen is present, this process is called aerobic respiration. Humans and animals utilize aerobic respiration when oxygen levels are sufficient.
The equation for this process is:
C6H12O6 + 6 O2 6 CO2 – 6 H2O + Energy (ATP + heat)
Although the preferred form of respiration for complex organisms is aerobic, as cells can produce much more energy in the form of ATP using oxygen than they can with anaerobic respiration, the cells are still capable of producing energy when oxygen levels are scarce. In the event that oxygen levels are low, like during a very strenuous workout, the cells will rely less on oxygen to produce energy and will resort to anaerobic respiration. During anaerobic respiration, energy is produced by sugar fermentation where pyruvate, a product of glycolysis, is used to produce ethanol and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), or lactate and NAD+.
We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, which is the perfect counterpoint to plants using carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Thus, plants, humans, and animals are connected in that each of the byproducts produced is perfectly complementary. Without plants, we would not have the oxygen or glucose to create energy to keep our cells alive.
Plants Existed Before Human Beings
Many scientists believe that plants arrived on the earth long before the first animal or man walked the earth. Recently, Elizabeth Pennisi, author of the article Land plants arose earlier than thought—and may have had a bigger impact on the evolution of animals1, wrote that a study has found that pond scum first arrived on land approximately 500 million years ago, which is 100 million years earlier than originally thought. Biologists believe that the evolution of plants is important because they not only cooled the Earth’s atmosphere but also produced an oxygen-rich environment that would provide nourishment for more complex organisms like animals and people.
The Biblical account for creation describes that plants were created on the third day (which may have been much longer than a 24-hour day), sea animals and birds were created on the fifth day, and land animals, including mankind, were created on the sixth day. (Genesis 1: 11-26, NIV) If animals and mankind had been created first, our species may not have been able to survive because the phytoplankton, tiny algae in the oceans make up between 50% – 80% of the earth’s oxygen.
How Do Plants Impact Your Health?
As has been seen in many cultures throughout time, plants have always been used in medicine. Today, pharmaceutical industries base the development of medications on the properties of known medicinal plants. Those properties are then synthesized into chemicals that eventually become the medications that are prescribed for treatment. Therefore, if many of today’s medications are based on the properties of plants, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for your body to use the unadulterated properties of the plants directly from the source in a complete food matrix, which produce virtually little to no side effects?
In addition to providing the oxygen that our bodies need to survive, consuming plants can help us by…
Decreases inflammation. Certain plants, such as dark-colored berries and dark leafy vegetables, provide the body with antioxidants which aid the body in maintaining the balanced level of free radicals. Some plants, like turmeric and ginger, have natural anti-inflammatory properties.
Neutralizes acidic pH levels. When the body maintains low, or acidic, pH levels, the body is more susceptible to disease because the enzymes in our bodies that are necessary for digestive, immune, and metabolic functions in the body are exquisitely sensitive to pH levels. By incorporating more alkalizing fruits and vegetables in your diet, your body is able to remain at a healthy neutral pH level.
Reduces the risk of developing heart disease. Diets that are high in animal-based products create plaque on the interior walls of the arteries. The thickening of these walls can lead to high blood pressure which puts a strain on the heart. By increasing your intake of raw, organic fruits and vegetables, and lowering or eliminating animal-based products altogether, your risk of developing plaque within your arterial walls is drastically reduced.
Lowers cancer risk. Eating more natural, unprocessed fruits and vegetable, while decreasing your consumption of animal-based products and processed foods, help in reducing the risk of obesity-related cancers. According to recent studies, there are 13 different types of cancer that can be avoided by maintaining a healthy weight. As natural vegetables are low in calories, fat, and sugar, incorporating more of them into your diet will help with weight maintenance or weight loss when needed.
After receiving my cancer diagnosis, I developed a great appreciation for plant life. For me, being able to tap into the powerful phytonutrients, enzymes, and oxygen contained in living plants provided another option for me to heal and recover.
The next time that you walk outside, take a deep breath of the oxygen-rich air that the surrounding plants are providing you. With gratitude, exhale the carbon dioxide that plants can use from you. As one gives, the other receives. It’s truly the circle of life.
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References:
- Pennisi, E. (2018, February 19). Land plants arose earlier than thought-and may have had a bigger impact on the evolution of animals. Retrieved April 09, 2018, from http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/02/land-plants-arose-earlier-thought-and-may-have-had-bigger-impact-evolution-animals
- Gillespie, C. (2018, March 19). Cellular Respiration in Plants. Retrieved April 09, 2018, from https://sciencing.com/cellular-respiration-plants-6513740.html
- (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2018, from http://www.rsc.org/Education/Teachers/Resources/cfb/respiration.htm
- GCSE Bitesize: Photosynthesis and respiration. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2018, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_gateway/green_world/photosynthesisrev1.shtml
- Bauholz, H. (2018, March 13). Definition of Plant Respiration. Retrieved April 09, 2018, from https://sciencing.com/definition-plant-respiration-5655078.html
- KS3 Bitesize Science – Food chains: Revision, Page 6. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2018, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/organisms_behaviour_health/food_chains/revision/6/
- D, N. (2016, September 16). Respiration in Plants: Meaning and Mechanism | Botany. Retrieved April 09, 2018, from http://www.biologydiscussion.com/plants/respiration-plants/respiration-in-plants-meaning-and-mechanism-botany/51564
- Photosynthesis and Respiration. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2018, from http://photosynthesiseducation.com/photosynthesis-and-cellular-respiration/
- Won, D. (2017, October 24). The link between sugar and cancer | Keynotes to Life | Love Your Life, Live In Health. Retrieved April 09, 2018, from http://deannawon.com/the-link-between-sugar-and-cancer/
