Biochemistry is an essential subject for students in medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacies, and students taking exams such as the USMLE and MCAT.
It’s a difficult subject and it’s very complicated to study. However, it can be well studied by following the tips below. So here are some tips from my personal experience of studying biochemistry. It was my favorite theme because it was interesting and difficult to learn.
But if you like it, it will be one of your favorites as it deals with our own body physiology at the molecular level. As you may have noticed, the biochemistry courses include:
- Understanding Concepts
Biochemistry is known to be a scientific topic. Therefore, you need to understand not only the raid but the concepts within it. This topic describes carbohydrates, proteins, fats, nucleic acids, and their role in the body.
Therefore, we need to understand their source, formation, metabolism, and exclusion from the body. This makes it easier to remember and write in the exam. In addition, understanding the need to actually think about those applications helps us.
General concepts include glucose metabolism, glycogen synthesis, fat synthesis, protein metabolism, nucleic acid synthesis, etc. Therefore, when referring to a concept, it is limited. Biochemistry only defines the concepts that guide physiology and life. Unlike biology and chemistry, it is not unlimited or infinite.
- Scope and scope of biochemistry
Biochemistry has a wide range from plants to microorganisms to higher animals. Describes biomolecules such as enzymes, carbohydrates, toxins, and electrolytes in the body. Therefore, knowing biochemistry is useful for knowing its use in medicine, research, the environment, food, and other aspects.
- Participate in a lab course
Experiments such as testing carbohydrates, proteins, blood sugar, cholesterol, creatinine, and urine components are done in the laboratory.
- Understand the term
Many terms are used in biochemistry. These terms are specific. By understanding the terms, you can know what the concept is. For example, glycogen synthesis means the formation of glycogen (glycogen + genesis). This happens in the liver via excess glucose under the influence of harmonized insulin.
Very few enzymes are involved in the glycogen synthesis pathway. That is, there are related terms like “glycogen synthase”. This means that the enzyme is involved in glycogen synthesis. Gluconeogenesis = Glucose formation from non-carbohydrate sources such as amino acids, proteins, and fats. (Glucose = Glucose, Neo = New or Non-Carbohydrate, Genesis = Education) Therefore, understanding the terms will help avoid biochemical confusion.
- Classify basic molecules
If you are an expert in them, you should know the basic molecules of biochemistry. Biochemistry deals only with a limited number of human biomolecules. These include their metabolites, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, nucleic acids, and corresponding enzymes.
Therefore, once the synthesis, metabolism, and excretion of biomolecules are clarified, biochemical research is complete.
Now, online biochemistry courses tell that it is important to know the basic molecules in the body, their structure, and physiology to facilitate learning biochemistry.
In addition, these basic molecules are formed in different ways. Therefore, these pathways are less confusing once you understand their role and function in the body.
- Practice derivation
Derivatives are an important pathway that explains the synthesis or degradation of molecules. For example, cholesterol synthesis in the body comes from stigma sterol. This is a cyclic ring structure that causes many changes during synthesis.
These derivatives are associated with gradual molecular changes in the presence of supporting enzymes and ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Derivatives, large or small, should not be fully understood and practiced.
I once fully understood and went to the exam. However, during the test, I got stuck in the middle of purine synthesis (adenine and guanine). I knew the way, but I was stuck in the next step and couldn’t continue. Therefore, only the last step of the derivation is finished. The score was low, but if I practiced, I could avoid it next time. Practicing derivations will help you solve them easily in the exam.
What’s more, if you remember the first and last entities of the road, it will be much easier to study.
- Keep the practical side in mind
Whatever reaction or problem you encounter in biochemistry is related to our physical function. Therefore, it is good to look at the topic from a daily perspective, or in general health or illness, during your study. This arouses curiosity and helps you better understand the topic.
Finally, we practice it as part of our career. Therefore, trying to correlate biochemical subjects in nature and in everyday life helps us learn better.
Apart from the hint above, we need some pointers to remind us of some aspects. For example, the activated form of the enzyme is always the form of phosphate. Isomerize produces molecules with the same chemical properties as the parent molecule with only slight changes in hydrogen and oxygen levels. Reductase enzymes either remove oxygen or add hydrogen. Oxidase removes hydrogen or adds oxygen.
