Health Science Reviews

by Saleha Suleman

For centuries, humans have been defined by how intelligent they are. Although the definition of intelligence has changed with evolving times and the differences in lifestyles, the importance of intelligence has not. It is a predictor for occupational, health and overall quality of life outcomes, more than any other trait. This is because a higher intelligence involves the ability to adapt to quickly changing circumstances and undertakings that one would face in their work.

Worldwide, the most standard and widely accepted measurement for intelligence has been IQ (intelligence quotient). An IQ test is able to quantify a person’s reasoning and problem-solving abilities through various tests that the person goes through, and so should be able to account for creativity, thinking outside the box as well as skills needed in schooling subjects such as mathematics. The genetics of intelligence, however, has eluded humans for the longest time. Judging from simple logic, it can be said that there is a certain component of intelligence that is hereditary. But how much it is, and whether it outweighs other factors such as family support, schooling, socioeconomic status and others has not been determined yet. Simply put, intelligence is one of the facets of the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate.

In this paper, the authors performed a meta-analysis to accumulate the findings thus far of the effect of genetics on intelligence. They did this by reviewing results from initial genome wide association studies (GWAS) and showed how genome-wide polygenic scores (GPSs) are a better predictor of intelligence due to it’s accuracy and ability to measure the effects of thousands of DNA variants that are associated with intelligence.

The main findings of the paper are presented in the infographic bellow. Since this is a review, the authors confirmed that there have been multiple attempts to gauge the effect of genetics on intelligence, but the most recent success has come from the use of GPSs. At the time this paper was published, there was also a much larger scale GWAS study being performed that would allow identification of up to 10% of variance. Such studies would allow a clearer definition of the relationship of intelligence with socioeconomic environment, family support, educational attainment of parents and other environmental factors that have so far been attributed to nature in the nature versus nurture debate.

It is important to remember that such studies, and even any tests that would be available to take at a clinic for example, would still be probabilistic and not determinate. Because of that, despite the potential to understand the human mind more, as well as the fact that understanding measurable outcome differences in people of different genetic intelligence would be revolutionary, there have been major ethical concerns for these studies. These include four; biological determination and potential for stigmatization and discrimination, both which can see people being afforded opportunities such as in careers or social circles because of their genetic intelligence, ownership of information, and finally the emotional impact of knowing one’s own personal genetic intelligence levels. As results from current studies become available, it will be of utmost value to distinguish the benefits and shortcomings for them.

References:

Plomin, R. and Von Stumm, S., 2018. The new genetics of intelligence. Nature Reviews Genetics, 19(3), pp.148-159.

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) is a knee condition associated with anterior knee pain when loading the knee in movements like squatting, stair climbing, running and jumping (Ferber et al., 2015). Due to its high prevalence and running becoming an increasingly common form of exercise, it is important that high quality evidence regarding treatment and preventative […]

Running and Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: What makes you weak at the knees? — Rugby Science

by Sedzani Mbedzi

The doctrine of signature is an ancient pharmacological theory which states that the way plants look, taste, react or shaped offers strong clues to their medical implications. Major category of doctrine of signature are the similarity between shape of the plant and ailing human organ, and the similarity of plant colour to disease syndrome. Indigenous people coined the concept “you are what you eat and so is the brain” which suggest that what you eat is valuable to your health and heart. They had a well versed and in-depth understanding of nature, and knowledge about how some plants work and what they are used for. Physical characteristics of plants reveal their therapeutic value, for instance the reddish color of beetroot (blood root) indicates the plant’s efficacy in treating blood disorders.

Pomegranates resembles the human heart and known to have rich antioxidant polyphenols, which includes tannis, anthocyanin and flavonoids. Study by Dos Santos and co-workers reveled that having pomegranates at least once a day can be significant in attenuating hypertension, stress level and making your skin glow (Dos Santos et al., 2016). Using pomegranate dried peels, extracts for dietary purposes attenuates stress and coronary angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity. ACE is a zinc metallopeptidase comprised of two homologous domains, the N and C domain. These domains are the main targets of ACE inhibitors that act by binding to the zinc. Polyphenols have chemical structures that favor chelation of redox active metals which favor ACE inhibition. This fruit lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and melts away heart blockages.

Figure 1: Infographic presentation of pomegranate resembling a human heart with chambers inside and the seeds encased like blood vessels. Pomegranates contain punicalagins that benefit the heart and blood vessels. The fruit lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, and melts away heart blockages.

“You are what you eat” concept plays a crucial role in managing chronic diseases. Therefore, it is important to know what you eat and how that impacts your body. It is quite difficult to eat healthy under stressful situations. For instance, during examinations a lot of university students tend to eat more fast food and snacks. The doctrine of signature indicates that having healthy snacks such as walnuts regularly may improve brain health and reduces risks of heart disease and cancer. Figure two below just shows some of healthy food and organs that they resemble.

Figure 2: info graphic representation of certain medicinal plants (fruits and vegetables) and resemble organs that they are good for.

Studies suggest that doctrine of signature could be the future for development of effective drugs and reducing chronic illnesses. For instance, beneficial effects of pomegranate peels extracts may be considered in development of therapies for hypertension.

REFERENCE

Dos Santos, R.L., Dellacqua, L.O., Delgado, N.T., Rouver, W.N., Podratz, P.L., Lima, L.C., Piccin, M.P., Meyrelles, S.S., Mauad, H., Graceli, J.B. and Moyses, M.R., 2016. Pomegranate peel extract attenuates oxidative stress by decreasing coronary angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in hypertensive female rats. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 79(21), pp.998-1007.