Glyconutrients
Primer
The eight essential sugars are part of a larger nutrient picture known as Glyconutrients
- the latest buzz-word to grab the headlines. We will be hearing much more
about them in the future. They, in turn, are part of an even broader category
known as "Nutraceuticals" - a term that combines nutrition and pharmaceuticals.
The word "Nutraceuticals" was designed to include natural food-based substances
with the pharmacological effects they have on the human body. First used by
the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, the term was drafted
to incorporate all the natural, standardized, non-toxic dietary supplements
used in conjunction with improved nutrition.
The following definitions may help explain some of this new "Glyco" terminology:
- Glyco
means "sweet" and, therefore, used when describing
a sugar or carbohydrate molecule. "Sugar", "Carbohydrate" and "Saccharide
are all used interchangeably.
- Glycoforms
are large sugar molecules that combine with proteins
and/or fats to cover the surfaces of all cells. These
are then known as "glycoproteins" or "glycolipids".
- Glycoproteins
are molecules made of sugars and proteins. They are
found coating the surface of every cell in the human
body that contains a nucleus.
- Glycolipids
are molecules made of sugars and fats. "Lipid" and "Fat" are
often used interchangeably.
- Glyconutrients
are the foods and nutritional supplements that provide
saccharides along with other glycoforms essential to
the body, but which are scarce in most diets.
Glyconutrients
have powerful effects on the immune system. When used along with
surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation, glyconutrients have
proven to help lessen the side effects of these treatments while
helping the body to recover and heal itself more quickly than
if only the treatments were implemented.
The sugars found on all glyconutrients also address the workings of the brain
and nervous system - from memory and sleep to anxiety and depression. In addition,
they have a role in helping the body handle cholesterol and fats by lowering
triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) while, at the same time, raising
the good cholesterol (HDL). Commercials have long touted the benefits of eating
oatmeal to bring down cholesterol. What is not mentioned is that it is the
sugars (beta-glucans) in oatmeal that are responsible.
Another important essential sugar function is to help retain bone density and
muscle mass. The body undergoes wear and tear as it ages. Cells and tissues
need to be replaced, remodeled, and renewed continually. Exercise helps the
body to develop new blood vessels while increasing muscle mass. Certain kinds
of tissues adapt to exercise by increasing the size and number of cells. Adaptation,
healing, and recovery are all forms of tissue remodeling. Essential sugars
play important roles in these processes.
There is so much potential to these sugars that it is mind-boggling. What is
included here is only just the beginning of what is to come. The excitement
that must have reverberated when penicillin was developed is nothing compared
to the excitement as science continues to find out all the capabilities of
this maligned substance. This is not a gimmick or a fad but the actual foundation
upon which other nutrients can build. We will all have to stay tuned.
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