What do you know about Gluconutrients?

Question

I heard about this in church last weekend and it sounds like it cures everything. What do you know?

Answer 1

Simply stated, the Greek word glyco refers to "sweet."
Hence, a glyconutrient is a biochemical that contains a
sugar molecule. The prefix "glyco" can be placed in
front of a fat, protein or any molecule and suggests
that a sugar is attached. Glycobiology is the study of
the sugar portion of these proteins and fats.

Glycoprotein = Sugar attached to a protein.
Glycolipid = Sugar attached to a fat.
Glycoform = Any sugar form.

Like so many new frontiers in science, the role of
these carbohydrates or sugars (glyconutrients) was badly
neglected and underestimated. They were at best considered
a simple source of energy and at worst considered nothing
more than a contaminant on the surface of the cell.

Virtually every cell in our bodies is covered with
minuscule hair-like glycoforms. Until the invention of
the electron microscope, scientists could not see these
molecules on the surface of the cells. They could
detect hairs (proteins and fats), but could not
distinguish that on the surface of those hairs were
trillions of other molecules-sugar molecules
(glyconutrients).

Glyconutrients are not vitamins, minerals, proteins,
fats, herbs, enzymes or homeopathic drugs. They are
carbohydrates. Just as there are essential proteins
called amino acids and essential fats called fatty
acids, glyconutrients are the newly discovered class
of necessary carbohydrate nutrients.

"The last decade has witnessed the rapid emergence of
the concept of the sugar code of biological
information. Indeed, monosaccharides represent an
alphabet of biological information similar to amino
acids and nucleic acids, but with unsurpassed coding
capacity." (Acta Anatomica 4/1998)(glyconutrients
represent these mononsaccharides)

Sugar-bound glycoforms work to keep our hormones in
balance, to fight off disease invaders, to enable blood
to clot, to give our cells their structural support
network and (perhaps most important of all) to create a
complex cellular messaging system.

Today more than 20,000 research papers on glycoproteins
a year, over fifty every single day, are published
worldwide.

THE HEALTHY SWEETS that make up Mannatech's
Glyconutrients

Sucrose is the "sweet" with which we are the most
familiar, but it also happens to be the worst for our
health. Sucrose is dangerously overused in America;
the average American's annual consumption of refined
white sugar [sucrose] has shot from 5 pounds in 1900 to
163 pounds today. Refined sugar is nothing but empty
calories and does nothing for our health. There are
other sugars that play a very important, beneficial
role in our health. The "healthy sweets"(glyconutrients)
we do need are as follows:

Glyconutrient #1
Glucose...is readily available in our diets [converted
from white sugar, fructose and starchy foods] and in
most cases is oversupplied in the form of sugar cane,
rice, corn, potatoes, wheat, etc.

Glyconutrient #2
Galactose...is readily available in our diets. It is
obtained from the conversion of lactose [milk sugar]
and is also easily obtained from dairy products UNLESS
you suffer from lactose intolerance or are like me and
simply don't like dairy products.

Glyconutrient #3
Fucose...IS NOT readily available in our diets but is
readily found in breast milk and in several medicinal
mushrooms. It has numerous well-documented benefits
for the immune system.

Glyconutrient #4
Mannose...IS NOT readily available in our diets. It
plays a profound role in cellular interactions and has
even been known to lower blood sugar levels. It is
absolutely vital to proper immune defenses against
microbial invaders and has a natural anti-inflammatory
effect.

Glyconutrient #5
Xylose...IS NOT readily available in our diets. It is
often seen in sugarless gums and candies, in that it
has a sweet taste but does not cause tooth decay. It
has recently been added to nasal sprays and appears to
discourage the binding of allergens and pathogens to
mucous membranes. It also has known antibacterial and
fungal properties and may help prevent certain cancers.

Glyconutrient #6
N-acetyl-neuramic acid...IS NOT readily available in
our diets, but it is another sugar that abounds in
breast milk and dramatically impacts brain function and
growth. It, too, boosts immune function and has
documented antiviral actions. Interestingly, in
certain disease states, the ability to digest this
sugar is impaired.

Glyconutrient #7
N-acetyl-glucosamine...IS NOT readily available in our
diets. It is particularly beneficial for cartilage
regeneration and joint inflammation. Glucosamine, a
well known natural medicine for arthritic conditions
comes from this sugar compound. It has many more
therapeutic effects. Deficiencies or malfunctions of
this sugar have been linked to diseases of the bowel.

Glyconutrient #8
N-acetyl-galactosamine...IS NOT readily available in
our diets. It is the least known of the essential
sugars although it appears to inhibit the growth of
some tumors and like the other sugars, plays an
individual role in keeping cell communiqués clear and
promptly delivered.

These glyconutrients are so important to our health,
that Mother Nature has made provisions to ensure we
get them early on in life. Breast milk contains five
of the essential glyconutrients mentioned above.
Emerging research continues to support how important
breast-feeding is to human development--both short
term and long term. The areas most noted as positively
affected by breast milk nourishment are immune function
and brain development.

FACT: One reason that breast-fed babies are protected
from infections is because breast milk is full of
glyconutrients that may actually prevent infectious
organisms from sticking to intestinal cells.

Medical Disclaimer: I am not medically qualified to
diagnose or treat people. The intention of this
is to provide quality health and nutritional
information for it's readers, but not to replace the
advice of their physicians.

Hope this is helpful. :)

Answer 2

The link below will take you to 778,000 sites that mention glyconutrients. Most seem to be by companies selling the stuff. I did not see any reliable sources of information on the first page or so of search hits. All the sites are making outrageous promises and selling products.

Answer 3

Glyconutrients are not vitamins, minerals, proteins,
fats, herbs, enzymes or homeopathic drugs. They are
carbohydrates. Just as there are essential proteins
called amino acids and essential fats called fatty
acids, glyconutrients are the newly discovered class
of necessary carbohydrate nutrients.

\Sugar-bound glycoforms work to keep our hormones in
balance, to fight off disease invaders, to enable blood
to clot, to give our cells their structural support
network and (perhaps most important of all) to create a
complex cellular messaging system

Answer 4

Gluconutrient sounds like a played up word that simply means "Things with sugar in them".

Answer 5

http://www.glyconutrientsreference.com/
Here is a site that discusses these nutrients. I have never tried them, but at a recent health expo in NYC that highlights new and innovative natural products they were being featured by several vendors.