The Concept of Entropy and its Relationship with Health Volume 58- Issue 2

Oğuzhan Bahadır*

• Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Turkey

Received: July 22, 2024; Published: August 14, 2024

*Corresponding author: Oğuzhan Bahadır, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of science, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey

DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2024.58.009120

Abstract PDF

Entropy is a measure of disorder or randomness in a system, based on the second law of thermodynamics. In the context of thermodynamics, entropy measures the number of microscopic structures corresponding to the macroscopic state of a thermodynamic system. It plays a critical role in determining the direction of natural processes and indicates that systems naturally progress towards a state of higher entropy. In this article, the relationship between entropy and health will be discussed in detail.

Entropy, which has many applications today from physics to statistics, engineering to social sciences, is a concept taken from thermodynamics. In thermodynamics, entropy represents the thermal energy of a system that cannot be converted into mechanical work and is distributed throughout the universe. For example; When a ball with a certain potential energy falls down a slope, not all of its potential energy can be converted into kinetic energy, and some of it is distributed to the universe as heat energy. This energy, released as heat and randomly distributed throughout the universe, represents entropy. According to the second law of thermodynamics, the entropy change of the system during any process must be zero or positive. Because all processes in the universe move from order to disorder and tend to increase their entropy. In general, in physical systems, entropy can be defined as the numerical value of uncertainty and uncertainty in the system [1]. In this paper, we analyzed entropy in biological systems, the effects of entropy on health, and ways to reduce entropy

In biological systems, entropy is used to understand the organization and functioning of living organisms. Living organisms maintain their low entropy state by absorbing energy and matter from their environment and thus create and maintain order. When this balance is disrupted, diseases and other health problems can occur.

Homeostasis and Entropy

Homeostasis refers to the self-regulatory processes used by biological systems to maintain internal balance. Living things expend energy to maintain homeostasis and maintain low entropy states. But, when this procedure is disorganize, the entropy of the organism get bigger and health problems may happen. Keep in existence homeostasis ensure that cells and tissues in the body work in a certain order. Disordering of homeostasis may provide to the start and progression of diseases [2]. For instance, body temperature is keep going within a small range by homeostatic mechanisms. If this stability is derange and the body temperature embellish too high (hyperthermia) or over low (hypothermia), the organism’s situation can be gravely impaired, leading to get bigger entropy. Likewise, keeping blood sugar quantities balanced is also fragment of homeostasis. In illness such as diabetes, this stability is disarranged and cellular entropy get bigger.

Aging and Entropy

The aging affair is closely connected to entropy. As we age, the organism’s sequence lessen and entropy get bigger. At the cellular level, gathered impairment and molecular degradation during aging get bigger entropy. This leads to age-related ilness and agravating of general health. Hayflick recommends that aging can be described by the increase of entropy and that genetic determinism regulates longevity [2]. Unchain radicals and oxidative stress stockpile in cells, bringing about cellular structures to deteriorate and DNA destruction, accelerating aging. This action get bigger cellular entropy and sources cells to cease functioning. Rattan utters that unchain radicals and oxidative stress conduce to cellular aging and entropy rise. Furthermore, as we age, the repair mechanisms of cells and tissues weaken, accelerating the grow in entropy and leading to the growth of age-related illness [3].

Diseases and Entropy

Most illness are related with disruption of order and grow in entropy in the body. For instance, cancer cells proliferate uncontrollably, which disarrange the order in the organism and grows entropy [4]. Unusual broadening of cancer cells consumes the body’s energy resources and sources disruption of normal cellular functions. This activity grows the overall entropy of the organism and aggravates the state of health. Neurodegenerative illness also grow entropy due to loss of function of nerve cells and give onto deterioration in brain functions. For instance, in Alzheimer’s illness, beta-amyloid plaques and tau proteins stockpile in the brain, disturbing relay between nerve cells and growing entropy. This outcomes in symptoms such as memory loss and decrease in cognitive functions [5].

Entropy at the Cellular Level

Cells task healthily by keep going their low entropy mood. Enlarged entropy at the cellular level leads to disarray of cellular roles. For instance, misfolding and aggregation of cellular proteins can cause to illness by growing cellular entropy. Protein misfolding is a apparatus underlying countless neurodegenerative illness. In these illness, misfolded proteins stockpile inside the cell, growing entropy and disrupting cellular functions.

Entropy at the Metabolic Level

Metabolic activities are straight related to energy production and consumption. Metabolic balance verifies a healthy life by keep going a low entropy state. Nevertheless, disruptions in metabolic activities can lead to grew entropy and the development of metabolic ilness. For instance, diabetes is a outcome of metabolic dysregulation and grew entropy in the body. In persons with diabetes, blood sugar amounts become unsteady due to annulments in insulin production or use, growing entropy at the cellular level and leading to organ harm.

Psychological Health and Entropy

Psychological well-being is also associated with entropy. Circumstances such as stress and anxiety can grow entropy by disordering chemical stability in the brain. Chronic stress leads to persistently high amount of stress hormones like cortisol. This negatively infects the health of brain cells and rises entropy. Long-term stress leads to the development of depression and other mental health issues.

Diverse strategies exist to lower entropy and conserve health. Way of life changes such as systematic exercise, healthy eating, sufficient sleep and stress management can assist the body keep low-entropy state. Exercise arranges the body’s energy balance and metabolic procedures, which lowers cellular entropy. Healthy nutrition braces the proper functioning of cellular roles by assuming the body with necessary nutrients. Sufficient sleep braces the body’s repair and regeneration processes and lowes entropy. Stress management methods avert entropy get bigger by protecting mental health.

Entropy is an key concept for apprehension the order and functioning of biological systems. Our condition of health is closely connected to the entropy quantites in our body. Low entropy stipulates health and orderly functioning, while high entropy is associated with illness and disarray. To continue a healthy life, it is principal to keep going our body’s homeostasis and keep entropy low. This is feasible with way of life changes such as systematic exercise, healthy nutrition, sufficient sleep and stress management.

1. Bahadır O, Türkmençalıkoğlu H (2021) Bilgi Kuramında Shannon Entropisi ve Uygulamaları. Avrupa Bilim ve Teknoloji Dergisi (32): 491-497.
2. Hayflick L (2007) Entropy explains aging, genetic determinism explains longevity, and undefined terminology explains misunderstanding both. PLOS genetics 3(12): e220.
3. Rattan S I (2006) Theories of biological aging: genes, proteins, and free radicals. Free radical research 40(12):1230-1238.
4. Davies P C (2012) The epigenome and top-down causation. Interface Focus 2(1): 42-48.
5. Demetrius L (2006) Aging in mouse and human systems: a comparative study. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1067(1): 66-82.