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| '''Glyconutrients''' are described as a set of individual ] nutrients by the multi-level marketing company, ]. The company markets glyconutrients, under the name ], for the treatment of multiple diseases as a nutritional supplement. The company uses the term to refer to mixtures of ]s, such as exudate tree gums and high molecular weight ] extracts containing fermentable ] and plant extracts, as well as sugars or starch. These ] are large sugar polymers made up of saccharide monomers such as glucose, galactose, fucose, fructose, mannose, xylose and arabinose. These have been found to be important to ] and the ]. But there is no reliable evidence that people are generally deficient in glyconutrients, except for certain rare genetic diseases. In fact, quite the opposite is true. There are ] systems in place to convert nearly any sugar into any other sugar because they are fundamentally needed by the body. Furthermore, there are no reliable, controlled studies to show that glyconutrients provide any improvement against cancer or any other medical disorder.<ref name="cancersociety"> for glyconutrients</ref><ref name="wellnessletter"> by the ] School of Public Health, January 2006. Retrieved ], ].</ref> | '''Glyconutrients''' are described as a set of individual ] nutrients by the multi-level marketing company, ]. The company markets glyconutrients, under the name ], for the treatment of multiple diseases as a nutritional supplement. The company uses the term to refer to mixtures of ]s, such as exudate tree gums and high molecular weight ] extracts containing fermentable ] and plant extracts, as well as sugars or starch. These ] are large sugar polymers made up of saccharide monomers such as glucose, galactose, fucose, fructose, mannose, xylose and arabinose. These have been found to be important to ] and the ]. But there is no reliable evidence that people are generally deficient in glyconutrients, except for certain rare genetic diseases. In fact, quite the opposite is true. There are ] systems in place to convert nearly any sugar into any other sugar because they are fundamentally needed by the body. Furthermore, there are no reliable, controlled studies to show that glyconutrients provide any improvement against cancer or any other medical disorder.<ref name="cancersociety"> for glyconutrients</ref><ref name="wellnessletter"> by the ] School of Public Health, January 2006. Retrieved ], ].</ref> | ||
| ==Use as alternative therapy== | ==Use as alternative therapy== | ||
Revision as of 20:37, 12 March 2007
Glyconutrients are described as a set of individual carbohydrate nutrients by the multi-level marketing company, Mannatech. The company markets glyconutrients, under the name Ambrotose, for the treatment of multiple diseases as a nutritional supplement. The company uses the term to refer to mixtures of polysaccharides, such as exudate tree gums and high molecular weight aloe vera extracts containing fermentable dietary fiber and plant extracts, as well as sugars or starch. These polysaccharides are large sugar polymers made up of saccharide monomers such as glucose, galactose, fucose, fructose, mannose, xylose and arabinose. These have been found to be important to cellular communication and the immune system. But there is no reliable evidence that people are generally deficient in glyconutrients, except for certain rare genetic diseases. In fact, quite the opposite is true. There are enzymatic systems in place to convert nearly any sugar into any other sugar because they are fundamentally needed by the body. Furthermore, there are no reliable, controlled studies to show that glyconutrients provide any improvement against cancer or any other medical disorder.
Use as alternative therapy
A number of companies sell formulas labeled as glyconutrients, but Mannatech is the primary distributor of the supplement and uses multilevel marketing to promote sales by word-of-mouth. Websites promoting the use of glyconutrient supplements claim the supplement can provide beneficial health effects for a wide-range of diseases and conditions ranging from cancer to multiple sclerosis and diabetes. The sites claim that current diets do not include sufficient levels of 8 polysaccharides that they label as glyconutrients or that stress destabilizes the balance of these polysaccharides in the body. Many of these claims are unsubstantiated and a lawsuit was filed against Mannatech in September 2005 for violations of the Exchange Act related to material misrepresentations made by the company concerning its products' efficacy and uses.
Lack of scientific validity
For some sources of these formulas, sensationalism, misattributed scientific references and controversial marketing methods abound. No scientific organization recognizes glyconutrients as a valuable nutritional supplement. The body can generate all of the polysaccharides contained within the supplements being sold.
Some promoters of glyconutritional formulas espouse a popularized view that some of the polysaccharide components are being materially hydrolyzed and absorbed as monosaccharides for beneficial use in human cells. Based on this long unsubstantiated claim of significant digestion as monosaccharides and the popularized notion of "8 essential sugars (monosaccharides)", these promoters further claim physiological connections, broadly not accepted, to the established science of glycobiology as well as cellular phenomena such as glycosylation and formation of glycoproteins. These popularized notions of digesting "8 essential sugars" from highly polymerized, complex carbohydrates have no support in science and medicine and have no significantly documented basis.
References
- ^ American Cancer Society question page for glyconutrients
- Wellness Guide to Dietary Supplements by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, January 2006. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
- Milberg Weiss Announces the Filing of a Class Action Lawsuit Against Mannatech, Inc. and Certain Individual Defendants on Behalf Of Investors. Business Wire. September 12, 2005. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
Further reading
- Martin Peterson, Arnold Johnson (1978) Encyclopedia of Food Science, Avi Publishing Co., Westport CT ISBN 0-87055-227-9
- Martin A. Rambal C. Berger V. Parlor S. Louisot P Availability of specific sugars for glycoconjugate biosynthesis. A need for further investigation in man. Biochemia 1988 pg.75-86
- Whelan W.J. Website Horrors - Essential What? IUBMB Life, 57, (10): 709, October 2005.