Back in kindergarten, Michael often kicked off his day with soft drinks for breakfast. At lunch, he would feast on his favorite pork adobo, piling on four plates of rice, and washing it down with super sweet orange juice.
“I would eat so much, but I never felt full,” he recalled.
Michael’s parents had no clue about his eating habits; they just thought their son had a “healthy appetite.”
But as time went on, his weight kept climbing.
By the time he turned 10, Michael weighed 90 kilograms, which put him in the overweight category for his age.
One time, when Michael got sick, he ended up in the hospital. His parents were shocked to find out that he had a serious condition called diabetes.
“But he’s way too young for that kind of illness,” his mom exclaimed.
What used to be a disease of industrialized countries, diabetes is now on the rise in the Philippines. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) projects that in 2030, five million Filipinos will have diabetes, with that number growing even more to seven million by 2045.
Now, the good news: Tobacco isn’t exactly known for being a health ally. However, scientists have found a way to use genetically modified tobacco leaves as “green biofactories” to produce affordable insulin, autoantigens, and anti-inflammatory proteins that can help treat or prevent diabetes.
Using a technique known as molecular farming, researchers tweak the genetic makeup of tobacco (scientific name: Nicotiana tabacum) to create medicine instead of harmful substances. Because tobacco is easy to genetically modify and produces a lot of leaf biomass, it’s a go-to for sidestepping the high costs of traditional drug production.
A study published in BMC Biotechnology, which is an open access and peer-reviewed journal, revealed that European researchers have developed tobacco plants that produce a powerful anti-inflammatory protein called interleukin-10 (IL-10). This could be beneficial for patients with insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune conditions.
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has also shared that scientists have successfully inserted human insulin genes into the chloroplasts of tobacco. In groundbreaking studies, giving diabetic mice freeze-dried tobacco powder rich in insulin completely balanced their blood and urine sugar levels.
For managing type 2 diabetes, the NIH revealed that transgenic tobacco has been utilized to produce Exendin-4 fusion proteins. When taken orally, partially processed plant products with this protein have shown a notable improvement in glucose tolerance in animal studies.
Before it made its way to Europe, tobacco was already being used in traditional medicine by indigenous people in South America to treat various physical ailments. Once it reached Asia, folks started chewing the leaves, often combining them with betel nuts and lime to help with toothaches, gum problems, throat pain, and even to lift their spirits during bouts of depression.
“Tobacco has always been considered as a medicinal plant,” says the National Tobacco Administration (NTA), a government agency in the Philippines responsible for regulating and overseeing the tobacco industry.
Tobacco is well-known for nicotine content, a highly toxic stimulant. “In recent years, nicotine has been recommended for hypodermic injections in tetanus and strychnine poisoning,” the NTA reports on its website. “The plant is also used as a source of isoprene units required for the production of a cardiac drug UQ-10.”
The NTA believes tobacco isn’t just for the production of cigarettes; in fact, tobacco has several other uses. Even the tobacco wastes can’t be considered garbage because they can still be repurposed into something beneficial.
“Being biodegradable, (tobacco wastes) are particularly appealing alternatives to synthetic pesticides and fertilizers especially during these times of high-level consciousness for ‘environment-friendly’ technologies, and the fact that synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are very expensive,” the NTA says.
A study by NTA’s crop protection group showed that applying tobacco scraps and waste at 200 kilograms per hectare can effectively manage the pest golden apple snail in rice fields, while also boosting the yield. Uncontrolled populations of golden kuhol can ruin an entire square meter of a rice field overnight and cause massive crop yield.
Tobacco aqueous spray (mixed at a ratio of one part tobacco to ten parts water) along with tobacco dust, has proven to be effective as pesticides. When tobacco spray is applied every 10 days, it can decrease the populations of beanfly and bean aphids by 89% and 97%, respectively.
Tobacco dust, a byproduct from making tobacco, consists of tiny particles and bits of tobacco leaves. NTA reported that it can kill about 80% to 90% of tomato cutworms and beanfly, respectively.
In Ilocos Sur, some local farmers have noticed that using it in vegetable farming has boosted their crop yields and significantly lowered production costs, according to NTA.
Tobacco dust is not only an organic pesticide, it can also be used to improve soil quality. Some studies suggest that when mixed with organic compost, it can function as an organic fertilizer, supplying vital nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that plants need to thrive.
Since 2012, the NTA has been promoting tobacco dust as a natural and organic molluscicide.
Danilo C. Trongco, who serves on the NTA governing board, applied tobacco dust in his freshwater pond in Lagangilang, Abra. He acknowledged that tobacco dust is both effective and eco-friendly. “My fishponds were efficiently sterilized without side effects to the water source,” he said.
Trongco further noted that tobacco dust serves as a great alternative to costly synthetic chemicals. “The use of chemicals in pond poisoning is not safe to the environment because it’s toxicity will splash away through the outlets during pond washing that eventually harm the natural habitat of the water resources downstream,” he was quoted as saying.
Tobacco stalks and midribs have been demonstrated to be highly effective organic waste materials for mushroom cultivation, particularly as excellent substrates or spawn-production media for straw mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea) and oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus species). “This technology is already commercialized,” the NTA reports.
Tobacco also has a potential in the food industry and as animal feed. According to the NTA, you can actually extract a high-quality protein known as fraction 1 protein from tobacco leaves for human consumption. This fraction-1 protein is the main soluble protein found in the leaves of green plants.
The seeds of the tobacco plant, which are free of nicotine, pack a punch with 25% protein and 35% oil, making them great sources for both edible and industrial oils, the NTA claims. After extracting the oil, the leftover seed cake is rich in protein and makes for a suitable feed for cattle and horses.
According to the NTA, they have successfully created pastry products such as polvoron, pastillas, cookies, doughnuts, and pancakes by substituting ground tobacco seeds for up to 30% of the flour needed. Tobacco seeds can also replace sesame seeds or peanuts with brittle candies.
In terms of animal feed, tobacco seeds can replace 25% of the commercial feed ingredients used for broilers. Preliminary findings regarding tilapia suggest that up to 70% of their feed could be substituted with tobacco seeds.
“The potentials of tobacco as a source of food and feeds are, therefore, very promising. If fully tapped, it will not extend the usefulness of tobacco but more importantly, will be a positive factor in easing the increasing demand for food,” the NTA states.
