r/Biochemistry • u/TonightsTheNight021 • 8d ago
Learning biochemistry at home?
My (26M) familliy has a big firm which sells supplements nationwide. I’ve been working there for 2 years and my knowledge in supplements and in selling skills are good. I find it very interesting and I even thought going to uni for a biochemistry degree. The problem is it would last 4 years and would cost a very decent amount of money. With that in mind I figured I don’t necesseraly need to go to uni for it I just want to expand my knowledge so I could be an even better salesman. Do you guys have some tips as in what literature I could read, some basics I should educate myself on first, etc… Thanks in advance!
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u/skyyflyy2u 8d ago
Have a think about how you would like to learn.
I would recommend picking a few supplements or drugs or therapies then work backwards. Keep asking "how does this work" and go down a rabit hole on Wikipedia, following there mode of action and make a list of the areas of research. For larger topics like DNA replication, watch a yt video or two. I really recommend before you start studying having a wide overview of the application of your studies in your work. Aka the effect of these supplements on the body and mode of action.
If you are curious a broad understanding will push you to understand more and more, just by asking questions. Starting with a textbook may be a bit too detailed and really slow
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u/f1ve-Star 7d ago
You sell supplements. You are happy and make a good living. You should avoid learning actual science at all costs. If you understood the difference between medicine and supplements and the harm you may be doing it would be harder to sell your snake oils. Ignorance is bliss as they say.
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u/TheGingerSomm 2d ago
Refusing to be properly educated on the topic is the absolute BEST method to becoming the best salesperson for any particular product.
It’s also Fing WILD that you come from a family of significant wealth and question whether gaining expertise in that subject is worth spending a few pennies (relatively). If you want to be lazy and lie to people for an easy, cushy life, the least you can do is admit it, rather than begging for validation on Reddit.
Just goes to show you how useless rich people are.
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u/TonightsTheNight021 2d ago
someone is salty, if I go to Uni I can’t work at the firm because you are forced to go to every lecture (which are often spread out for the whole day so it hits both the first and the second shift) with no understanding from the professors for your livelyhood. Plus the reward from getting a degree (which for this particular example isn’t even acredited in my local uni) doesn’t outweigh the money I would spend on it, the money I would lose by working a lot less plus the nervous breakdowns my father would have for not having a reliable worker anymore. It’s nice to have it but internet and every book you ever read at uni is available on the internet (not the same but still)
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u/Far-Radio-5746 8d ago
IMO the advice people are giving is backwards. I would learn how to read scientific papers and really evaluate the methodology, sample size, type of study, etc. Learn the mechanisms in which the supplements are supposed to work. And fill in the chem/bio/biochem when you don’t understand something. Really pick apart the studies and see if the supplement is something with a lot of evidence in humans or if it was one done in a Petri dish or just on mice. You’ll be able to explain it to people simply and actually be a trustworthy source and someone who knows what they are talking about.
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u/Boring_and_sons PhD 8d ago
He sells supplements. If there were peer reviewed studies that definitively showed the benefits of said supplements, he would be using them as marketing materials.
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u/Far-Radio-5746 8d ago
We think alike. I was trying to nudge nudge so that OP would actually read the studies on the supplements he is trying to sell.
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u/patricksaurus 7d ago
He doesn’t have intro biochem, and you think he’s positioned to read studies? That’s absurd.
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u/Deltaboss18 8d ago
Buy a used copy of Lehinger from some online, used book store (I'm partial to thriftbooks, or abebooks). Or download a copy if you read them digitally.
MIT OCW and their EdX Platform has free lectures of thats your thing.
Chemistry: If youre serious about it, refreshing yourself in basic and organic chemistry (especially acids, bases, and pKa) will be a good return on time invested studying. I like Klein or Wade as Organic Chem texts. Any old edition will be sufficient.
Topics: reactions, equilibria, acid & base chemistry, amino & nucleic acid chemistry.
Biology:
While Principles of Cell Biology by Alberts is good, its a little overkill if you're just building a foundation. Start by refreshing your self with basic cell bio from Campbell's Biology or the text from OpenStax.
Topics: Dna structure & replication, cell cycle, structure of the cell, enzymes, DNA synthesis.
That should be enough to get you started.