Introduction

Nutrition simply supplies the body with the raw material tools it is already pre-programmed to use to stay healthy. Medical science has grossly underestimated the body's potential to fix things when it has the necessary nutrients to work with. The only miracle is in the body's god given ability to heal, repair, regenerate, regulate and protect itself. The challenge of science has always been to try to learn how the body works. In 1996 a critical key missing nutritional link in the body's daily ability to maintain health, prevent disease, fight disease and slow down the aging process was discovered. A whole new nutritional category called glyconutrients was established.

What are Glyconutrients?

“Glyco” comes from Greek meaning "sweet". A glyconutrient is a sweet nutrient. It is a sugar. With the exception of one, these are not the 'carbs' the Atkins diet is trying to get you to cut back on. In more scientific terms (don't worry, there are pictures to help), glyconutrients are natural plant monosaccharides (a single carbohydrate or sugar - there are many different kinds). There are eight specific monosaccharides your body needs for cells to create messages that communicate with other cells. These eight unique carbohydrates follow:

Eight Essential Saccharides
Required for
Glycoprotein Synthesis

Glucose (Glu)
Galactose (Gal)
Mannose (Man)
Fucose (Fuc)
Xylose (Xy)
N-Acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)
N-Acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)
N-Acetylneuraminic acid - sialic acid (NANA)

These monosaccharides unite with proteins and fats to create glycoforms, which cover the surface of virtually every cell in the body. Glycoforms function as cellular recognition molecules that communicate the messages your body needs to function in good health. Glyconutritionals provide your body the raw nutrients to create a proper glycoform and allow healthy communication between cells.

Glyconutrients give the cells what they need to form healthy receptor sites on cell surfaces (the green 'trees' above the Bi-lipid Layer).

How Do Glyconutrients Help People?

As you know, what you put in your body has a profound impact on your health. Research continues to show a correlation between nutrition and health. Much of it demonstrates how the lack of specific nutrients is responsible for certain diseases or poor health. Examples: a lack of vitamin C causes scurvy, or a lack of vitamin B causes thyroid problems (goitters). Research is also supporting, more and more, that certain nutrients reduce the risk of many diseases, like lycopene for reducing the risk of prostate cancer.

Now scientists have supporting evidence, though not conclusive, that a lack of glyconutrients in a diet may be responsible for many different health conditions. From surpressed immune system conditions to over-active immune system conditions. Think about it, if your immune system is functioning at an optimal level your body will prevent diseases from getting a foothold and ruining your health.

Some have used the analogy of the body being like a garden. To have a vibrant garden (a body experiencing optimal health), there must be proper nutrients available for the plants (your body's different systems). If proper nutrients are constantly made available in the soil, the healthy plants choke out the "weeds" (disease). This is all based on the idea that your body heals/repairs itself when given the food (raw materials) it needs to make it happen. If you get a cut, your body heals the cut - not the band-aid or antibiotic ointment placed on it. Your body has the same capacity to heal/repair itself internally as well.

Unfortunately, as you get older the effects of daily stress and lack of proper nutrition reduces the bodies effectiveness to rebuild or fight off intruders. This deterioration manifests eventually into a weakened immune system and eventually into disease.

How do glyconutrients keep an immune system functioning at an optimal level?

Communication within your body is what keeps your immune system running efficiently. Most importantly, communication at the cellular level. Cells that communicate properly make healthy tissues. Healthy tissues make healthy organs. Healthy organs make up healthy systems - such as your immune system. It all starts with good cellular communication.

Think of your cells using a 'language' similar to the English alphabet. To make all the letters in the alphabet only requires four different shapes. But those four shapes combine to make 26 different letters, that spell thousands of words. If one of the shapes is missing, words are misspelled or not recognized.

The monosaccharides are like the base that protiens and fats attach themselves to make cellular 'words'. If the 'words' your body makes are 'misspelled' - this results in miscommunication among cells. This can lead to cells not even being recognized as part of your body, but instead being identified as harmful and targeted for destruction. A tragic case of internal friendly fire. On the other extreme, cells that are not part of your body are misidentified and allowed to continue destruction within your body.

Glycoproteins are involved in the process by which bacteria and viruses bind to human cells in the process of infecting the cells. At the cutting edge of carbohydrate research is the study of these molecules' potential role in anti-adhesion therapy, intended to prevent the infectious binding to cells. Studies have shown that the simple addition of monosaccharides to living cells can prevent or reduce their infection by bacteria and viruses.

A few terms for reference:

Glycomics is the total body of knowledge about sugars and how they function.

Glycobiology is the study of how sugars impact living systems.

Glycoscience is a term that encompasses all the specialties of glycobiology.

Glyconutrients are natural plant sugars.

Glyconutritionals are products that contain glyconutrients.

Nutraceuticals is a relatively new term used by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine for all natural, standardized, non-toxic dietary supplements designed to optimize health through improved nutrition.