future nutrition

The future of nutrition? 

17Sep26 v01

https://poelposition.blogspot.com/2026/09/future-nutrition.htm

The proposition that traditional farming methods are to be phased out out and replaced by protein created from locusts and worms refuses to go away, so let's take the argument a stage further and suggest we just cut out the middleman in this process. So I asked AI to consider the options.

Bill Gates proposed lab grown beef was not enthusiastically greeted - and any of these substitutes that have zero traditional texture and flavour will face and uphill struggle for acceptance. Until such time as we have had the traditional food removed from the shelves and forgotten what it was once like..

Meat substitutes from fungus like Qorn can be disguised to be acceptable as sausages and nuggets, but why bother? Let's go for transfusable nutrition and accept that a juicy fillet steak is going to be driven out of the market by price, vegan activism and climate zealots claiming that bovine flatulence is contributing to climate change. So I asked ....

"How far away from being able to synthesise human blood for transfusions are we? Apart from water, what are the main chemical ingredients?"

Gemini AI replied....

We are still at least 10 to 15 years away from widespread, routine use of synthetic or lab-grown blood for standard medical transfusions.

Human clinical trials using lab-grown red blood cells (such as the UK's ground-breaking RESTORE trial) and synthetic oxygen carriers (in Japan and the US) are actively underway. However, two massive bottlenecks remain: scale and cost. Currently, growing just a few teaspoons of red blood cells in a bioreactor takes weeks and costs tens of thousands of dollars. A single standard unit of donor blood contains roughly 2 trillion red blood cells—a volume current bio-manufacturing cannot match affordably.  

Science fiction is an eager consumer of the notion of mainline delivered nutrition for space stasis and dystopian futures like the Matrix. 

In the nearer term (the next 5–8 years), synthetic blood products will likely serve specialized, niche roles: trauma resuscitation in rural areas, battlefield medicine, and treating patients with rare blood types or conditions like sickle cell anemia who struggle to find matched donors.  

Key Chemical & Biological Ingredients

Blood is not a single chemical fluid, but a complex, living tissue made of water, inorganic salts, proteins, and cellular components. Outside of water (which makes up ~92% of liquid plasma), the primary functional components are:

1. Proteins & Organic Molecules

Hemoglobin: The iron-rich protein that physically binds oxygen in lungs and releases it into tissues. Synthetic blood substitutes rely heavily on either extracted human/bovine hemoglobin or lab-engineered recombinant hemoglobin.  

Albumin: The most abundant plasma protein. It generates osmotic pressure (preventing fluid from leaking out of blood vessels into surrounding tissues) and transports hormones and fatty acids.

Globulins & Fibrinogen: Immunoglobulins (antibodies) provide immune defense, while fibrinogen interacts with platelets to trigger clotting during injury.

2. Dissolved Electrolytes (Inorganic Salts)

Sodium (\text{Na}^+) and Chloride (\text{Cl}^-): The primary ions maintaining overall osmotic balance and fluid volume.

Bicarbonate (\text{HCO}_3^-): The primary chemical buffer responsible for keeping blood pH strictly between 7.35 and 7.45.

Potassium (\text{K}^+) and Calcium (\text{Ca}^{2+}): Critical for neuromuscular signalling, heart function, and activating the blood clotting cascade.

3. Synthetic Oxygen Carriers (In Laboratory Substitutes)

Because replicating living cells is difficult, chemical substitutes use specific chemical classes to move oxygen:

Perfluorocarbons (PFCs): Synthetic, highly fluorinated hydrocarbon liquids that physically dissolve massive quantities of gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide, acting as purely chemical oxygen delivery vehicles.

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG): Used in "PEGylated" hemoglobin products to coat the hemoglobin molecules, shielding them from the immune system and keeping them circulating longer without causing blood vessel spasms.

I then added the question "Ok, then how much further is there to go to create blood that provides all nutritional requirements and can be used to bypass food and digestion processes?.."

Surprisingly, we don't need to wait for future technology to supply all human nutritional requirements directly into the bloodstream—we can already do it today, and have been able to for decades.  

The medical protocol is called Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). It is a complete, liquid "food" formulated to bypass the mouth, stomach, and intestines entirely, infusing essential nutrients directly into a central vein to keep patients alive when their digestive systems fail.  

However, completely replacing food and the digestion process permanently for healthy humans is a very different challenge.

The Chemical Formulation of Liquid "Dietary Blood"

To feed every cell in the body directly via the bloodstream, a liquid must contain broken-down, elemental nutrients that cells can instantly absorb without needing stomach acid, enzymes, or mechanical churning:

Carbohydrates (Dextrose): Pre-digested, simple glucose that cells burn for immediate energy.

Proteins (Free Crystalline Amino Acids): Individual amino acid building blocks (like leucine, lysine, and valine) that organs use to repair tissue.  

Fats (Lipid Emulsions): Microscopic droplets of essential fatty acids (such as soybean, olive, or fish oils) suspended in water to provide dense calories and protect cellular membranes.

Electrolytes & Minerals: Meticulously balanced sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate to drive heart and brain nerve signaling.  

Essential Vitamins & Trace Elements: Water- and fat-soluble vitamins (A, B-complex, C, D, E, K) alongside micro-minerals like zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium.

Why We Can't Ditch Eating Just Yet

While TPN proves we can feed the body strictly through the bloodstream, doing so long-term exposes severe biological limitations:

1. Gut Atrophy & Immune Failure

The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract contains roughly 70% of the body’s immune system (GALT—Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue). If the gut sits completely idle, the intestinal wall thins and loses structural integrity. Over time, bacteria normally trapped in the gut can cross the weakened barrier and leak directly into the bloodstream, causing lethal sepsis.

2. Liver and Gallbladder Damage

The liver and gallbladder evolved to process food coming from the gut. When nutrients bypass digestion and enter the bloodstream continuously, the liver struggles to process the lipid load, leading to fatty liver disease, liver failure, and severe gallstone formation.

3. Massive Infection Risks

Feeding nutrients straight into a vein requires a permanent central catheter. Because dextrose and lipids are ideal breeding grounds for bacteria, Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs) remain a constant, life-threatening hazard for long-term patients.  

4. The Psychological & Hormonal Gap

Eating regulates key hormones like ghrelin, leptin, and insulin, and stimulates dopamine pathways tied to mood and satiety. Bypassing taste, chewing, and gut distension leaves people feeling perpetually hungry, even when fully nourished.

Until bio-engineers figure out how to maintain gut tissue health without solid food and eliminate catheter infection risks, cutting out digestion remains a medical last resort rather than a lifestyle upgrade.