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The Sugar Code of Life The category of nutritional supplements called glyconutrients is so new that most of the experts in the use of dietary supplements still haven’t heard of them or do not appreciate their importance. As you will learn, glyconutrients occur naturally in many plants that have been used medicinally in various cultures for centuries. For example, aloe is recognized worldwide for its healing properties, but the functional component is actually a glyconutrient. The first complete glyconutrient complex made from many plants and sold as a dietary supplement that I am aware of became available to US citizens back in 1996. Since then, several nutritional companies have jumped on the bandwagon. You will soon learn that glyconutrients are not just one of the most recent discoveries, but without question, the most important for supporting human health. The word glyconutrient is derived from the Greek ‘glyco” meaning sweet. Some glyconutrients aren’t very sweet, but they fall under the heading of a group of plant chemicals called saccharides. Saccharide is simply a chemical name for sugars. However, the word glyconutrient is important and will help you avoid confusing different sugars. Generally speaking, when someone says the word “sugar’ your first thought’s something that tastes really good and is really bad for you. “Sugar” makes you fat or causes diabetes. It is found in foods that you shouldn’t eat because they contain table sugar. Table sugar is all too abundant. The average American adult consumes more than 75 pounds. (34.09kg) per year, and the average American child consumes 115 pounds (52.27kg) per year. That’s about 700 calories a day for each child from sugar. However like most things in nature it has value we simply abuse it and over use it and that’s what leads to ill health, not the sucrose itself. Surprised by that statement? Well read on then. The principal sugar in Honey is sucrose so when you choose honey over sucrose (table sugar) you haven’t substituted a healthier sugar. There are other benefits to honey how ever that we don’t have time for here. The principle sugar in plants is sucrose (yes just like table sugar), but the key is maintaining nature’s balance not having excessive amounts. Your brain requires sucrose to function, check the metabolic pathways chart or ask a doctor who has one and they’ll be forced to acknowledge it’s true. The USDA has established that for energy and brain function we need ten teaspoons daily including all hidden sugars in food. The average American eats more than 20 teaspoons per day. Excess intake of table sugar (sucrose) is one of the principle causes of ill health, but there are necessary sugars without which you have virtually no hope for good health and it would seem that some people can never get too much of those sugars. The necessary glyconutrient sugars do not cause diabetes; too much table sugar on a regular basis will hasten your progress towards becoming diabetic. Let’s cite another; more familiar analogy that might be helpful. Everyone knows that there are acids that are so caustic that if you put even one drop on steel, it could burn right through the metal. Now, that’s obviously a bad acid. But there are also acids that are essential to your life. These are called amino acids. If you are deficient in certain essential amino acids, you will get sick and may die if they are not provided. Therefore, we can see that there are both good and bad acids. Similarly there are good sugars, and there are bad sugars. For those who prefer more specifics, let’s address carbohydrates. Glyconutrients may be correctly referred to as carbohydrates, but once again, we must acknowledge that there are both good carbohydrates (glyconutrients) and bad carbohydrates, such as cake and candy and foods that its are high glycolic. The bad carbohydrates make you fat, and, according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) excess body fat is linked to at least 20 different diseases and illnesses. Good sugars (or good carbohydrates) are the same as glyconutritionals. They may be located in various science texts, articles and studies under any of the following names: • Biological sugars • Monosaccharide (single sugars) • Saccharides (sugars) • Necessary sugars • Necessary carbohydrates • Nutritional carbohydrates • Glyconutrients (necessary sugars) Let’s get a few other definitions clear before we proceed to discuss the importance of glyconutrients. • Glyconutrients - the eight known monosaccharides necessary for cell-to-cell communication • Glyconutritional - a dietary supplement designed to provide glyconutrients • Glycoproteins - glyconutrients bonded to proteins • Glycoforms - any of several different giycosylated variants of a specified glycoprotein • Glycosylated - the presence of one or more sugars added to a protein to form a glycoprotein • Glycoconjugates - broad term for all of the above New Kid on the (Building) Blocks These terms, under the heading of glyconutrients, may be something very new to you and your doctor. Glyconutrition is one of the newest areas of health science. Prior to 1965, there were no papers at all that discussed nutritional carbohydrates or glyconutrients: The only mention of sugars was either in the context of quick energy or about the negative effects of bad sugars (such as weight gain and diabetes). Since 1965, more than 20,000 papers have been written on glycoconjugates. Despite these documents, clinical trials and various individual studies, the majority of doctors have not heard the word “glyconutrients,” nor do they understand why every human being needs them. It’s important to be realistic. The healthcare systems of all modern nations are driven by what is known as Western Biomedicine. Biomedicine may also be referred to as allopathic medicine. Allopaths are medical doctors, MDs. A medical doctor’s training requires very high intelligence and a tremendous tenacity to survive the rigors of medical school, internship, etc. They are taught about drugs and surgery, but are not taught about dietary supplements to any great extent, if at all. In fact, the vast majority of medical schools teach nothing, or next to nothing, on how to support the body’s normal physiology with dietary supplements. Some doctor are taught that dietary supplements have no value, or perhaps are even dangerous. You may wonder why this is the prevailing situation. The answer, I’m sad to say, comes down to money. Medical schools are sponsored in large part by pharmaceutical companies have no interest in manufacturing and selling some-thing that they cannot control financially. There is no profit motive for them to drive the 20’ knowledge of glyconutritionals or any other category of dietary supplements. Therefore the vast majority of doctors are not aware of the information about glyconutritionals, and consequently the media also stays unaware since they get nearly all of their health related information from medical doctors. The discovery of the glyconutrient complex that will discuss has now been patented in many countries around the world. Dozens more patents have been filed in other countries and are currently pending. The pharmaceutical companies have spent countless millions researching individual synthetic saccharides, and in each case thus far they have failed. Although I have no psychic powers I do not foresee a time when the pharmaceutical companies will create a synthetic Saccharide that better in all respects from safety to efficacy than what we find naturally occurring in plants. No pharmaceutical company wants to attempt to violate international patents on the Glyconutritional complex. The fact that the big pharmaceutical companies are willing to spend millions in an attempt to create a synthesized version of even one glyconutrient speaks volumes about the general realization of their importance to human health in today’s world. Glycoconjugates have been discussed recently in a number of very important publications such as “Acta Anatomica”, an international peer review journal that devoted an entire issue to the glycosciences, or the study of glyconutrients. There is also a science journal called “Glycobiology”, devoted to this area. Studies have also been published in the well-known leading British medical journal, “The Laricet”, as well as many other scientific and lay publications, in an issue of “Scientific American”, a magazine for scientists and laymen, the cover story was “Sweet Medicine.” One of the articles inside was titled “Saving Lives with Sugars.” From a scientific point of view, one of the most important documents to come out in the area of glyconutrients was the 1996 issue of “Harper’s Biochemistry”, a medical biochemistry textbook. In this medical text, Robert Murray, MD, PhD, itemized the eight major monosaccharides known to be present in glycoproteins. He listed these saccharides as glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, xylose, N-acetyl-glucosamine, N-acety/-ga/actosamjne, and N-acetyl-neuraminic acid, the latter also referred to frequently as either NANA or sialic acid. Dr. Murray is eminently qualified to provide this information to medical students. He had a distinguished teaching and research career at the University of Toronto and has published over 50 scientific peer reviewed papers, authored multiple textbook articles, and has been one of the authors of the last five editions of Harper’s Biochemistry. On a personal note, after meeting Dr. Murray in 1997, I have the honor to say we have become friends, and I have boundless personal respect for him as a scientist, teacher, and man of high integrity. In 2003 a major acknowledgement came from one of the leading “Brain Trusts” on planet earth The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published in June 2003 and stated that one of the 10 technologies that will change the world is called Glycornics, the study of glyconutrients. They have never said that about any nutritional technology in their history. In 2004 at the annual showcase of emerging technologies MIT invited a nutrition company that creates a complete glyconutrient complex to be the first nutrition company ever to be represented at that important annual conference. Why Haven’t I Seen it on Television Yet? ‘ The general media still doesn’t really know or understand about glyconutrients because they rely primarily on medical doctors for their information and very few medical doctors are yet aware of this new technology that MIT says will change the world! Hundreds of benefits have already been documented, addressing everything from stress to cancer The human body will correct itself, but only if it has the tools to do the job it was designed to do. Final Thoughts on Glyconutrients During tile early 20th century, carbohydrates were thought to be compounds used to provide energy without any other functions. In the first years of the 21st century, we now know that necessary carbohydrates in the form of glyconutrients are vital for correct structure, function, Relationships of cells, membranes, messenger molecules, enzymes, antibodies, hormones, binding, signaling, tumor read, and all other biological systems. Modern diets are deficient in glyconutrients, as well as other nutrients. Growing evidence of the value of glyconutrients has been documented in human, animal and cell biology studies. • Even congenital defects of glycosylation have shown improvement with glyconutrients. • Glyconutrients are modulators, not stimulators. • Many diseases relate to abnormal glycobiology. • Many diseases related to abnormal glycobiology go unrecognized • Research shows every disease tested thus far can be sugar printed. • What we have learned so far is only the tip of the iceberg. |
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