What Are the Eight Essential Glyconutrients And How Do These Benefit You

The natural composition of the human diet provides all the nutrients, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients necessary to promote health. But with the current improvements in farming and shelf life of fruits and vegetables, but not necessarily on the quality of the products produced, the typical American diet has become robbed off its natural elements. This absence suggests grave consequences on our health.

There are eight essential glyconutrients that play major roles in preserving the health of an average person. Currently, only two of these are present in our daily diet – glucose and galactose.

Glucose – Or simple sugar, is essentially where we get our daily dose of energy in the form of starch, sugar, rice, wheat, and cassava. This is a fast acting-energy source that is directly released into the bloodstream.

Galactose – A carbohydrate that is slightly less sweet than simple sugar or glucose, is a nutritive source of energy. As an essential sugar, galactose can help improve cell to cell communication by serving as an agent in the formation of glycoforms, a substance critical in the delivery of messages between cells. This sugar is typically present in milk and dairy products and comprises 2% to 8% of milk solids. It is also found in high quantities in human breast milk.

Xylose – Or wood sugar, is a glyconutrient that is commonly used as an ingredient in toothpastes, corn sweeteners and chewing gums. It is found in high quantities in berries like blackberries, logan berries and raspberries, pears, guava, kelp, aloe vera gel, broccoli, okra, green beans, cabbage, corn, eggplant, spinach and psyllium. Xylose, like all other glyconutrients can enhance cell to cell communication. It also has antibacterial and antifungal properties that help in warding off infections. When absorbed in the small intestine, xylose increases the number of intestinal flora that aid in nutrient absorption.

Fucose – Some varieties of mushroom and the breast milk that comes from humans are rich in fucose, an essential sugar that influences brain development, learning, memory, and prevent the development of respiratory tract infections, in modulating immune system functions, and in inhibiting allergic reactions. It is also linked to reproduction, proper kidney functions, and skin hydration functions.

Mannose – Among the eight essential sugars, mannose is the most important in sustaining cellular actions. It has properties that can prevent the growth and spread of tumor, enhance cell to cell communication, prevent infections caused by fungi, parasites, bacteria, and viruses, help in the production of disease and infection fighting substances called cytokines, eases inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis, affects the levels of blood sugar and control the level of triglyceride or fat in the blood. Mannose appears in high quantities in fruits like cranberries, mushrooms like shiitake and reishi, and a number of bran. Deficiencies in this nutrient are known to trigger an entire set of physical problems.

N-acetylneuraminic acid – Also called sialic acid, this nutrient is essential in brain development, cognitive performance, learning and memory. It is also known to help in lowering bad cholesterol levels in the body as well as in enhancing blood coagulation.

N-acetylglucosamine – A derivative of glucose, N-acetylglucosamine has been proposed as a viable treatment for autoimmune diseases. It is also known to help lessen symptoms of osteoarthritis such as pain and inflammation of the affected areas, decrease in range of motion, and damages to cartilage.

N-acetylgalactosamine – The least-known of all sugar nutrients, N-acetylgalactosamine is critical in inhibiting the growth of tumor and in enhancing cellular communication.

The 8 Essential Glyconutrients That Should Be In Your Diet

Medical science has finally cracked the process of cellular communication, a breakthrough in understanding exactly how the process of communicating between one cell to another, or one cell to other microorganisms happens. Scientists have long wondered how the body determines which antibodies to release in case of an attack to the immune system or how the digestive system knows which nutrient to absorb and how best to absorb it. These and a much wider spectrum of cellular functions are now understood, thanks to the discovery of plant carbohydrates or monosaccharide called glyconutrients.

There are more than 200 known carbohydrates or sugars. However, only 8 of these are essential to how the body functions and only two of them appear on a constant basis in a typical American diet. These are:

Xylose - Usually a sugar in the production of chewing gums, xylose was recently discovered to help extensively in preventing the formation of cancer cells in the digestive system.

Fucose – Most abundant in some varieties of mushrooms, Undaria pinnatifida, a type of macro seaweed, and the milk of the human breast, fucose is an essential carbohydrate that has properties that can affect how the brain develops, how cells communicate, and how the immune system inhibits the growth of tumors in various areas of the body. It was also found to help prevent allergic reactions as well as guard the respiratory tract against contracting infections.

Galactose – Like fucose, galactose is found in high quantities in the human milk as well as other dairy products. Among its many benefits are accelerated wound healing, increase in calcium absorption, and reduction in inflammation.

Glucose – This is a good source of energy that is released directly into the bloodstream, thus it has the power to drive bodily functions faster than ordinary energy sources. In clinical studies, glucose has exhibited results like enhanced memory and better calcium absorption on top of enhancing cell to cell communication.

Mannose – Primarily obtained from the sap of Gum Ghatti, manose is a potent inhibitor of tumor growth and plays a major role in the prevention of various parasitic, fungal and bacterial infections. It also plays an important part in tissue remodeling.

N-acetylglucosamine – From N-acetylglucosamine comes glucosamine, a metabolic product that has properties suitable for relieving conditions commonly associated with severely deteriorated bones and cartilages. Glucosamine is known for repairing cartilage, for improving range of motion for patients with osteoarthritis and in relieving pain and inflammation associated with these conditions.

N-acetylgalactosamine – With limited information on this glyconutrient, it was found that it functions much like the rest of its kind. It can inhibit the growth of tumors in various parts of the body and is also crucial in cell to cell communication.

N-acetylneuraminic acid – This saccharide is known to decrease in level as the human body grows old. According to studies, it is crucial in performance, brain development, learning and memory as well as in the removal of various pathogens from the body.

These 8 essential glyconutrients, with their properties and health benefits, keep your health and bodily functions at optimal levels by focusing on the needs that arise from the cellular level. Each cell needs ample supply of these plant carbohydrates to improve the immune system and enhance its defenses, keep cellular communication efficient, and in general, create the appropriate conditions to keep health at its peak.