Glycomics

The science of glycobiology, which is the study of how glyconutrients affect life functions because of their interaction with cellular activity, is such a new field that it is still relatively unknown to many scientists and medical experts. That means educating the public presents a challenging task.

What are Glyconutrients (Miracle Sugars)?

By: Shannon Lueck

"'Glyco' is a Greek word that means sweet. So a glyconutrient is a 'sweet nutrient' or a sugar nutrient.

Of the 200 monosaccharides that are found naturally in plants there are at least eight essential monosaccharides (or simple sugars) that are not digested and burned as fuel - like how we think of most sugars. Instead this group of eight glyconutrients are structural building blocks incorporated as whole molecules directly into the cells within your body and are involved in a remarkable array of biological functions. These are functions that control everything from individual cell structure and function to cell-to-cell communication and protection for every single cell in the body.

In 1996 the 24th edition of a medical textbook called Harpers Biochemistry first introduced us to this group of eight glyconutrients (also known as miracle sugars) that are involved in the communication and inter-cellular function of virtually all cells of the body. What does this mean exactly?:

* Tissues
* Glands
* Organs
* The blood and
* The immune system

everything in the body depends to some level on these molecules. And it has been discovered that when they are missing it prohibits our immune systems from functioning at full capacity.

Therefore science has established that glyconutritionals are not a diet option but rather a requirement for everyone just like water and vitamins and minerals or proteins and fatty acids. There are no exceptions!

Let me break this down into everyday language for you. Let’s say that these miracle sugars are to the cells what the alphabet is to you and me. We rely on the 26 letters of the alphabet everyday to communicate with everyone around us. Similarly cells rely on glyconutrients to communicate with all the other cells in the body.

What would happen if all of a sudden the alphabet was missing 5 letters? If we could no longer use the letters "G H N O and T" then a sentence as simple as "What are we going to have for dinner tonight" would no longer make sense to anyone. This sentence would now say "Wa are we i ave fr dier i?" Our communication system would break down by simply removing five letters from the alphabet. We would no longer be able to complete a major task in our everyday lives. The same holds true for cell-to-cell communication. Without all eight glyconutritionals in our system communication breaks down and allows disease to set in because the cells can no longer recognize the "good" from the "bad" and therefore can’t heal or correct or defend each other.

Unfortunately today only 2 of the 8 essential miracle sugars are readily available in the food in our diets’ and no other combination of any nutrients can substitute or replace them. There are many reasons why this deficiency has occurred. Some of these reasons include:

* Green harvests that don’t allow all the nutrients to develop before picking
* Processed foods that loose many if not most of their nutrients
* Preservatives
* Increased toxins in our environment and
* Gradual soil depletion.

All of these reasons have affects on each glyconutrient we get in our diets.

What is amazing is that cells are preprogrammed to do what they do; they simply need the right raw materials to do it with. Glyconutrients have proven to be the missing links in restoring and maintaining health and do what no vitamin... mineral... amino acid... or herbal remedy can do. They help nourish and support every single cell in the body and allow your cells to clearly send and translate messages to each other and operate efficiently. And this is why a glyconutritional supplement is essential!

A glyconutritional supplement compliments what you are doing now and provides you with the nutrients you need every day to maintain a level of complete and proper nutrition to achieve optimal health!

Now that you hopefully understand miracle sugars a little bit better I also wanted to share with you a "plain English" definition of phytochemicals and what they mean to you as well. What are Phytochemicals (phytonutrients)?

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

Mannose and Cancer

Mannose appears to be the foundation of all the essential sugars. Mannose is formed from glucose in the body and used in the formation of short chain sugars naturally attached to certain proteins. It is involved in so many fundamental cell actions that any deficiency of this one saccharide is said to lead to a host of physical problems. Like xylose and xylitol, mannose has its own sugar alcohol form known as mannitol.

Mannose is absorbed 8 times more slowly than glucose; and, when ingested, it is not converted to glycogen or stored in the liver, but rather Mannose goes directly to the blood stream from the upper gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, Mannose easily crosses the placenta allowing it to assist in fetal formation. Amniotic fluid has been shown to contain Mannose in amounts comparable to concentrations in the blood. Within an hour after ingestion, Mannose is widely distributed throughout body tissues and fluids. Highest levels are generally found in the liver and intestines.

Based on animal studies, it appears that Mannose is actively reabsorbed by the kidneys with very little being eliminated in the urine. There appears to be two different transport sites on the surface of the kidney tubules; one for Glucose and Galactose and the other for Mannose. Although Glucose and Galactose are excreted in the urine, very little Mannose is eliminated.

Mannose has also proven to reduce tumor growth and increase survival rates of cancerous animals. It appears that the sugar stimulates macrophages which secret interferons. These, in turn, activate natural killer cells involved in the elimination of cancer cells. Mannose has also been used to depress the rate of growth of other tumor cells in cultures. When scientists added Mannose and Glucosamine into the drinking water of mice with tumor cells, their survival rate increased while the tumors decreased. Some studies concluded that Mannose and Fucose appeared to be the most effective sugars when it came to slowing the growth of cancer cells.

There have not been any adverse reactions to high doses of Mannose either orally or from injection. Based on animal studies, the highest dose for humans could be around 23 grams for a healthy 150-pound adult. However, that much is hardly necessary. In humans, no adverse effects have been noted when oral doses of approximately 15 grams were administered. Even at oral doses as extreme as 53 grams per day given over an 11-month period showed no adverse side effects. No matter how small or large the dosage, it should be divided in at least two portions so as to maintain a functional level in the blood.

Give Your Teenagers the Nutrition They Need

All teens can benefit from taking a nutrional supplements. But not just any supplement, they need supplements designed especially for them.

Teens have different nutritional requirements that those of adults (of all the nutrients required by people daily, only vitamin D has the same RDA for both adults and kids.

It's impossible to give a growing teen the right amount of vitamins or other supplements simply by breaking an adult tablet into pieces. They will not receive nutrients in the ratios they need.

Make sure teens get all the nutrition they need! That means supplementing the vital nutrients they may not get from their daily diet. Remember, when it comes to supplements, always give teens stuff made especially for them.

Get Them in the Habit!

Here is a list of ideas you can try to help ensure your teens remain nutritionally aware into adulthood:

• Talk to them often about the importance of nutrition. Remind them that adequate nutrition helps ensure their bodies have what they need to be fit, healthy and strong.


• Explain how various vitamins benefit their bodies. When your teen understands that vitamin D, for example, helps build strong bones, he will learn to appreciate that value of proper nutrition.


• If you decide supplementation is a good idea, give teens supplements at the same time every day, like at the all-important meal, breakfast. Consistency in providing the supplements helps young people establish the habit for life.

Vitamins & Minerals

Here's a list that can help you explain, to your teenager, how each is beneficial to the body:

• Vitamin C: Crucial to immune functions as well as iron absorption. Vitamin C can be found in citrus fuits, melons, cranberries, strawberries, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, white and sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.


• Vitamin B₁₂: Essential for cell construction and central nervous system function. During rapid growth of all children's systems, a B₁₂ deficiency can occur rapidly. The body stores very little vitamin ₁₂ even under the best of circumstances.


• Calcium: Besdides helping bones and teeth grow, calcium is vital for control of body fluids and muscle contractions. Because they are growing, kids can absorb up to 75% of the calcium in their diets.


• Zinc: The body's second most abundant mineral, zinc is a vital component of over 100 enzymes required for growth, sexual maturation, wound healing, taste and immunity. Kids who don't get enough zinc may not grow to their full potential and may experience a lack of appetite.

From NIH Web Site

Hi guys.

I ran into this article study while search for "glyconutrients" on Google.

Below is what was posted on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9829439

The in vitro immunomodulatory effects of glyconutrients on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

In humans, eight monosaccharides are required for the synthesis of glycoproteins. Dietary supplements that supply these crucial sugars are known as glyconutrients. A glyconutrient compound was added to Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) isolated from normal controls and patients with the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a disease associated with immune dysregulation. The in vitro immunomodulatory effects were investigated. Cell surface expression of the glycoproteins CD5, CD8, and CD11a were significantly lower in patients with CFS compared to normal controls. Addition of glyconutrient homogenate to PBMC from patients with CFS stimulated with phytohemagglutinin significantly increased the expression of each glycoprotein. Furthermore, natural killer (NK) cell function was reduced in CFS patients. The glyconutrient preparation significantly enhanced NK cell activity versus human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6)-infected H9 cells in an 8 h 51Cr release assay compared to placebo for PBMC from patients with CFS (p< .01). Finally, apoptosis was significantly higher in patients with CFS. The percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly decreased in PBMC from patients with CFS that had been incubated for 48 h with glyconutrients. Thus, glyconutrients improved abnormal immune parameters in vitro in patients with CFS.

Cell to Cell Communication

Every cell in our bodies - all 600 trillion of them -- are coated with glycoconjugates; a mixture of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. These molecules protrude from the cell surfaces like delicate hairs. Scientists now know that each cell uses the carbohydrates on its surface to communicate -- both giving and receiving information about its surface. Healthy cell-to-cell communication is the best start to a healthy body.

Glycoproteins

A glycoprotein is a macromolecule composed of a protein and a carbohydrate (an oligosaccharide). The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. The addition of sugar chains can happen either at asparagine, and is termed N-glycosylation, or at hydroxylysine, hydroxyproline, serine, or threonine, and is termed O-glycosylation. Monosaccharides commonly found in eukaryotic glycoproteins include glucose, N-acetylglucosamine, galactose, n-acetylgalactosamine, mannose, fucose, xylose and n-acetylneuraminic acid (also known as sialic acid).

The sugar group can assist in protein folding or improve its stability. Glycoproteins are often used in proteins that are at least in part located in extracellular space (that is, outside the cell). Glycoproteins are important for immune cell recognition, especially in mammals. Examples of glycoproteins in the immune system are:

• Molecules such as antibodies (immunoglobulins), which interact directly with antigens


• Molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (or MHC), which are expressed on the surface of cells and interact with T-cells as part of the adaptive immune response

Other examples of glycoproteins include:

• Components of the zona pellucida, which surrounds the oocyte, and is important for sperm-egg interaction


• Soluble glycoproteins often show a high viscosity, for example, in egg white and blood plasma

Hormones that are glycoproteins include:

Follicle stimulating hormone
Luteinizing hormone
Thyroid stimulating hormone
human chorionic gonadotropin
Alpha-fetoprotein
Erythropoietin (EPO)

Lifespan of Cells

Your body is made up of over 600 trillion cells. Cells are constantly being born and dying and cells have different life spans ranging from hours to years.

Each of these 600 trillion cells is born, reproduces and dies within a cycle defined by each cell's DNA. It is important that these cells are properly glycosylated at all stages.

Here is a list of a some cell types and their lifespans:

Granulocytes, eosinophils basophils, neutrophils: 10 hours to 3 days
Stomach lining cells: 2 days
Sperm cells: 2-3 days
Stomach lining cells: 2 days
Colon cells: 3-4 days
Epithelia of small intestine: 1 week or less
Platelets: 10 days
Skin epidermal cells: 2 - 4 weeks
Lymphocytes: 2 months - a year (highly variable)
Red blood cells: 4 months
Stomach lining cells: 2 days
Macrophages: months - years
Endothelial cells: months - years
Pancreas cells: 1 year or more
Bone cells: 25 - 30 years