Alison Odey

Glyconutrients are neither drugs nor vitamins, minerals, herbals, homeopathic or enzymes. Rather, they are formulated supplements that are derived from nature, based on leading research in biochemistry.

Associated with nutraceuticals they are a class to themselves and constitute what scientists believe to be the most important discovery for the health of the human immune system.

The first line of defence in the immune system consists of natural killer cells, which continually perform critical immune surveillance and technically have the ability to eradicate tumour cells, invading viruses and infection.

But natural killer cells do not always fully perform their function – in fact they are on the decline.  Scientific research indicates that over the past decade the decline of natural killer cells as accelerated from 1% to 3% and is increasing at a rapid rate.
One explanation on the lack of performance in these natural killer cells was found in a recent break-through in the discovery of cell-to-cell communication.

Using a language of ‘letters and words’ made up of sugar molecules known as saccharides, our cells know to fight foreign intruders by actually touching to ‘read’ each others’ surface messages.  But when the necessary components for optimum cell-to-cell communication are absent, disease and dysfunction occur.
Of the 200 saccharides that occur naturally in plants, eight have been found to be components of cell surface glycoforms used in cell-to-cell communication.

These eight sugars are:
· glucose
· fructose
· mannose
· galactose
· xylose
· N-acetyl glucosamine
· N-acetylgalactosamine and
·N-acetyl neuraminic acid

Unfortunately, only two of these – glucose and galactose – are commonly found in typical modern diets.

Until relatively recently glyconutrients were found in a range of foods and were present particularly in spoiled foods where fungi and moulds converted common sugars to one or more of these special eight.

In 2001, modern food hygiene and widespread consumption of processed foods have reduced our dietary intake of six of the eight monosaccharides to almost zero.

However, the body has the ability to create the other six from the ingestion of glucose and galactose. This process requires considerable energy and is susceptible to interference from certain disease processes, inadequate nutrition, stress and other factors.  As a result, peoples systems are often too overtaxed to internally manufacture the six other saccharides necessary to maintain good health.

These eight essential sugars are the basics of multi-cellular intelligence – the ability of cells to communicate, cohere and work together to keep us health and balanced.

Until recently, it was thought that proteins supply the cells with the correct ‘codes’ to communicate. However scientists have discovered that it is actually the sugar molecules found on their surface that do the ‘talking’.
If these sugars are not there, it’s like talking on a mobile phone in a bad coverage area: you often only get ‘part of the message’.  What this leads to over a period of time is a weakened immune system.

Studies have shown that by supplementing the diet with glyconutrients, natural killer cell activity can increase as much as 50% in the average healthy person and among patients with impaired immune system function, much more.

There is a growing body of scientific studies that supports potential benefits for various health conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, ADHD, diabetes, autism, lupus and chronic fatigue syndrome to name a few.

The debilitating symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, frequently abate after taking glyconutrients.
In tests conducted at leading institutes around the world, these glyconutrients have been shown to lower cholesterol, increase lean muscle mass, decrease body fat, accelerate wound healing, ease allergy symptoms and allow auto immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, systemic lupus and erythematosus.

For cancer patients, glyconutrients mitigate the toxic effects of radiation and chemotherapy, while augmenting their cancer-killing effects, resulting in prolonged survival and improved quality of life.