Glyconutrients (Essential Carbohydrates)
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Carbohydrates are traditionally thought of as a simple fuel source that gets burned in the body the same way wood ignites a fire. The newest frontier and perhaps the greatest revolution in nutritional medicine since fish oil is the study of glyconutrients (essential sugars). Glyconutrients are essential carbohydrates that take part in the normal structure and cellular communication processes of the body. For example, the insulin receptor is made up glycoproteins, which is a protein molecule connected to long chains of carbohydrate. Since cells do not have eyes, they feel for what is happening in their environment using receptors. Receptors are like little antennas and they are located on every cell of the body, including immune cells, stem cells, muscle cells, fat cells, etc.

Immune cells use glyconutrients as part of their everyday life. Living without them is like having a bad conversation with another person. Miscommunication between immune cells causes them to slack or overreact. A lazy immune system invites pathogens like viruses and an overactive immune system can create inflammatory auto-immune disorders like type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crones disease) and scleroderma.

Glyconutrient research is on the forefront of the recent controversy over stem cell research because it violates many of the commonly held beliefs of the traditional establishment. Originally stem cells were thought to only exist in babies. People with newborns commonly cryostat (freeze) the umbilical cord as a way to preserve the stem cells and do not realize the adult human body never ceases the production of stem cells. Amazingly stem cells are born in the bone marrow, they set off into the bloodstream and migrate to all parts of the body where they renew or replace damaged or destroyed cells. Stem cells can differentiate into many different cell types in the body including brain cells. Brain cells start off in the bone marrow, travel to the brain and implant themselves as a shiny new cells. Ten years ago this would have all seemed too impossible.

Glyconutrient supplementation has been shown improve and reverse many conditions that were otherwise considered incurable because it helps the body do what it does naturally. The body has an innate ability to heal itself and glyconutrients are just another essential nutrient (like EPA and DHA) that the body uses for its formative structure and physiological functioning. Nature cures and the doctor sends the bill.

Glyconutrients are missing in the modern food chain the same way essential fats have been stripped from our food supply as a result of the industrialization of food processing technologies. There are 8 types of glyconutrients that include mannose, glucose, galactose, fucose, xylose, N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine and N-acetylneuraminic acid. Glucose and galactose are the only two essential sugars supplied in abundance by the average American diet, the rest are scarce. Natural food sources of glyconutrients include aloe vera, brown rice, whole grain barley, slow cooking oatmeal, brans, carrots, radishes, apples, oranges, grapefruits, pears, leeks, wheat, and mushrooms. Glyconutrients are also found in human breast milk, mother nature’s way of saying they are important for normal growth and development.

Glyconutrient supplementation is a great way to insure you are getting an optimal level of glyconutrients in your diet especially if you don’t eat many whole plant foods. Most Americans would rather swallow a pill than to eat more fruits and vegetables.