Eight Glyconutrients
Due to the amount of information on our Eight Glyconutrients page, I have set up a selection of jump links where you can click on the information you are looking for, and you will then scroll directly to that section of the page.
Glucose
Glucose is probably the most familiar of all the essential sugars and is a partner with fructose in the common Disaccharide Table Sugar (Sucrose). Glucose is a simple Monosaccharide and one of the most important sources of energy for plants and animals.
Glucose is found in abundance in such things as soft drinks, desserts, processed foods, ice cream, honey, corn, syrup, rice, etc..
Glucose is used in hospitals, by sports people and everyone in between as a fast-acting energy source as glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream quickly.
To much Glucose can also raise insulin levels and lead to such things as obesity and diabetes.
Both of these are becoming more and more prominent in today’s society due to poor nutritional knowledge and our fast-paced lifestyles.
Currently we only get two of these eight essential sugars in our diet: glucose (table sugar) and lactose (milk products). The other six we can manufacture but it takes a lot of energy and can involve up to 20 different reactions.
There is a single product out now that is a combination of all eight Monosaccharide’s.
So how much Glucose is too much, this depends on many things, but it is safe to say in today’s society that very few of us are deficient in this essential sugar.
Alternative sources of Glucose are – Honey, Grapes, Bananas, Cherries, Strawberries, Mangoes, Cocoa, Aloe Vera, Licorice Herb, Sarsparilla, Hawthorn, Garlic, Kelp and Echinacea.
These are more beneficial to you than the processed foods many of us eat and believe to be healthy.
Galactose
Galactose is an essential sugar in our everyday diets, predominantly in dairy products, where it combines with Glucose to form Lactose, it is also found in various fruits.
If you are one of those people that are lactose intolerant you may be lacking in Galactose.
The good news is that this essential sugar Galactose can easily be obtained from other food sources that are not dairy products such as.
- Fruit: Apples, Apricot, Banana, Blackberries, Cherries, Cranberries, Currants, Dates, Grapes, Kiwi Fruit, Mango, Orange, Nectarine, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Plums, Prunes, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Passionfruit.
- Herbs: Echinacea, Boswellia, Fenugreek, Chestnuts.
- Vegetables: Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Avocado, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Potato, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Leeks, Asparagus, Lettuce, Green Beans, Beetroot, Onions, Parsnip, Green Peas, Pumpkin, Spinach.
Doctors Now Report You Can Now Eat Your Way to Bountiful Health.
As you can see all the nutritional food above is from mother nature herself and was given to us full of nutrition in its raw state. Unfortunately, due to chemicals, green harvesting and our poor cooking practices the nutrition in our food is depleted before we can gain any real benefit.
As with all eight essential sugars, Galactose is necessary for the good cell to cell communication. If you are missing just one of the eight essential sugar groups in your diet, communication breaks down which could lead to disease.
More and more is being revealed every day that these essential sugars are a vital part of our daily dietary intake and not just as a source of energy.
What Is Lactose?
Lactose is the sugar that makes up around 2-8% of solids in the milk we drink. The name originated from the Latin word for Milk “Lact”, plus the “ose” used to name sugars.
Lactose is a Disaccharide consisting of Galactose and Glucose linked together.
Fucose
Fucose is one of the essential sugars the body needs to maintain optimal health and well being through the cell to cell communication.
Fucose is found in abundance in human breast milk and also in certain types of mushrooms.
Fucose has been linked through numerous studies to show that it may help improve the brain’s ability to create long-term memories, inhibited tumour growth and its spread and overall enhancing cellular communication.
The more we learn about health and disease, the more we become aware of the importance of a strong and healthy immune system.
Fucose is also found in several different types of medicinal mushrooms, such seaweeds as Kelp and Wakame and even Beer Yeast.
In biological terms, Fucose and its Glycoconjugates have been found to have some crucial influences on the body such as:
- Neurotransmission
- Immune Modulation
- Inhibition of cancer growth
- Prevention and treatment of respiratory infections
- Possible regulation of collagen production
In humans, Fucose is excreted from the urine. Nursing mothers also eliminate Fucose from their breast milk. During the latter stages of pregnancy, excretion of Fucose is increased, which is consistent with fetal development and the transfer of immunity to the newborn.
It is now also known that Fucose Glycoconjugates (Glycoproteins and Glycolipids) are an essential part of eliminating such diseases as cancer, inflammation and immunity.
Mannose
Mannose was the first active ingredient identified among the glyconutrients (essential sugars) and appears to be the foundation of all the necessary sugars.
Mannose is a significant player in tissue remodelling and intelligent interactions between cells.
The inclusion of Mannose in your diet can accelerate the processes of the cell to cell communication.
Mannose is involved in many of the fundamental cell activities. Its deficiency can lead to physical problems.
Mannose is absorbed eight times slower than Glucose and when ingested Mannose goes directly into the bloodstream from the upper gastrointestinal tract.
Within an hour Mannose is widely distributed throughout the body tissues and fluids. It’s directly utilised for glycoprotein synthesis, especially in components of the immune system.
If your diet is rich in unprocessed fruits and vegetables, you’re supplying your body with essential glyconutrients.
Mannose is one of the more accessible essential sugars to obtain in our diets. One of the primary sources is the Aloe Vera Gel, which contains Acemannan, a Mannose polysaccharide.
Other food sources that Mannose can be found are Red or Black Currants, Gooseberries, Green Beans, Capsicum (Cayenne Pepper), Cabbage, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Turnips, Shittake Mushrooms and Kelp. Another good source is ground Fenugreek as it contains a high amount of Galactomannan (as does Carob Gum and Guar Gum), a polysaccharide of Mannose and Galactose.
Glucosamine
N-acetylglucosamine also was known as Glucosamine is another member of the eight essential sugars and has become quite a popular remedy for osteoarthritis.
Human studies have shown that Glucosamine sulfate is almost 98% absorbed.
It is then distributed throughout the body primarily to joint tissues.
Where Can You Find Glucosamine
Glucosamine is readily available in such things as Shark Cartledge and Bovine. (Bovine another name for tissue from a cow)
It is also found as the Polysaccharide in chitin derived from the shells of crustaceans such as shrimps and Crabs. Chitosan is the modified form of chitin from acid/alkali treatments.
About half of the ingested dose of Glucosamine is oxidised, and the remainder is distributed into glycoconjugates.
These conjugates distribute to the cell surface receptors which are essential for the cell to cell communication.
Chemicals Are Our Enemy
The 1992 Earth Summit stated that the USA has the worst soil in the world with a staggering 85% depletion of the soil. The cause of this is the vast amounts of chemicals that are being used in everyday life.
What does this mean for you? Our food supply is reaching a point where it’s not able to maintain our optimal health and is breaking down our immune systems.
If you’re not alarmed you should be this statement was released 20 years ago.
Galactosamine
Galactosamine is another member of the eight essential sugars and is the least known.
Its medical name is N-acetylgalactosamine.
This essential sugar is also crucial for the proper cell to cell communication.
Necessary for the cell to cell communication in normal systemic functions in such diseases as cancer, inflammation and immunity.
Research is very new on this essential sugar, and little is known for sure but what has been found is that people with heart disease have a lower than average level of this essential sugar. It also appears that it helps with joint function and may help with inflammation.
Sources of Galactosamine
- Bovine
- Shark Cartledge
- Red Algae
With this essential sugar, the role is the same for galactosamine as it is with the other eight essential sugars, which is to assist with the cell to cell communication.
Neuraminic Acid
Neuraminic Acid has been found to be particularly important for development and learning.
And not surprising it is found in breast milk. Its medical name is N-acetylneuraminic acid.
In studies, it has been found that this Essential Saccharide may improve both memory and performance.
It has also been found that it may be an immune modulator which may, in turn, repel such things as bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.
Sources of Neuraminic Acid
- Organic Hen’s Egg (no chemicals)
- Whey Protein – not the powder (even those that are allergic to dairy products have been found to tolerate this substance)
Why Disease And Nutrition Go Hand In Hand
In society today nutritional deficiencies can cause two things.
Disease and Aging.
Other things that can also cause disease and ageing are a poor lifestyle, mainly tobacco and alcohol and fast food. We have a distinct choice with smoking and drinking alcohol, but we have a much harder decision with nutrition.
The reason for this is because it’s challenging to get the right kind of nutrition, i.e. fresh fruits and vegetables.
Xylose
Xylose is another Essential Nutrient and is also an Essential Sugar Saccharide of the Pentose class and may be vital to the cell to cell communication.
Research has suggested that this essential nutrient may prevent cancer of the digestive tract.
For people with diabetes and those watching their sugar intake, companies often substitute Xylose for sucrose and corn sweeteners in such things as chewing gum and toothpaste.
Sources of Xylose
Guava, Pears, Blackberries, Loganberries, Raspberries, Aloe Vera Gel, Kelp, Echinacea, Boswellia, Psyllium, Broccoli, Spinach, Eggplant, Peas, Green Beans.
Xylose is not to be confused with Xylitol which is not an essential sugar but a sugar alcohol.
Why You Can Not Get Enough Nutrients
Even if you are eating the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables, you’re STILL not getting all of the vitamins and minerals your body SHOULD have to function correctly!
You may THINK you’re getting the right assortment of fruits and vegetables. Most fruits and vegetables are green picked and then treated with chemicals to ripen this in itself can deplete the vital nutrition our bodies need.
Most of these properties don’t exist in the plant until the final days of ripening on the vine. When this occurs, the fruits and vegetables become very soft, which is not feasible for growers.
By the time they would arrive at your local grocery store, the fruits and vegetables would be bad or destroyed. So instead, they pick our fruits and vegetables before they are ripe and allow them to ripen during the shipping process (gas ripened) or while they sit in your local grocery stores.
Please take a minute to visit our Eight Essential Amino Acids for more information on good health and fitness.