This is an example of an extended simile used to explain science in the media:
"So, if we look at the structure of nuts, under the microscope, we would see something like boxes. So imagine if you have thousands of shoeboxes put together, and within each box you have fat inside. So in order to access the fat in those shoeboxes, we would have to go in and break all the shoeboxes. When we chew the nuts we break the boxes, we release the fat, but in the process not all boxes are being broken. Hence, there is still about 20% of fat left in the boxes that are not accessible by the body."
Dr Sze-Yen Tan
Dr Sze-Yen Tan (Senior Lecturer, Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Australia) was talking to Dr Michael Mosely on an episode ('Nibble Some Nuts') of the BBC radio show and podcast 'Just One Thing – with Michael Mosley'.
This programme is aimed at a non-specialist audience (the programme offers suggestions for healthy living) and it was not explained what the boxes represented.
"Triacylglycerols (TAG) are the predominant lipids in nuts and are stored within oleosomes (i.e. oil bodies) surrounded by a layer of phospholipids embedded with proteins and encased within the plant cell wall."
Li, Shelp & Wright, 2023
Presumably, Dr Tan was referring to the plant cells as being like shoeboxes rather than the specific fat contaiing organelles as he suggests that under a microsope one would observe "thousands of shoeboxes put together".
Work cited:
Li, C. H., Shelp, G. V., & Wright, A. J. (2023). Influence of nut structure and processing on lipid bioaccessibility and absorption. Current Opinion in Food Science, 49, 100966. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2022.100966
[Please be aware that a word may have different nuances, or even a different meaning, according to context.]« Back to Index
