A Glyconutrient Primer
When most of us hear the word sugar, we think only of table sugar from sugarcane, which consists of glucose and fructose. Glyconutrients are plant-based food sources that provide all or some of the eight essential sugars, also known as saccharides, necessary for cell-to-cell communication and a healthy immune system. While these nutrients are essential, they're lacking in most of our diets.
'The prefix "Glyco" is derived from the Greek word for "sweet"; Glyconutrient literally means "sweet nutrient".
Common Glyconutrient Terms:
Glycoforms are created when the eight important sugars are combined with proteins or fats. Glycoforms cover the surface of all cells.
Glycolipids are made of sugars and fats. More than 100 glycolipids are found in human tissues. They are located mainly on the surface of cell membranes where they function as receptor molecules and are involved in cell-to-cell interaction.
Glyconutritionals are nutritional dietary supplements designed to make the necessary sugars available to the cells more quickly and in greater quantity.
Glycoproteins result when proteins bind with one or more chains of sugars, enhancing cell-to-cell communication. Most proteins in human plasma and many on cell membranes are glycoproteins. Glycoproteins help many systems in the human body function properly. When glycoproteins are absent, a whole spectrum of diseases, conditions and ailments may result.
Phytochemicals are also referred to as Phytonutrients and the terms are often used interchangeably. Phytochemicals are compounds found in plants and contain protective, disease-preventive properties against diseases like cancer.
There are more than 1,000 known phytochemicals and some think one serving of vegetables may contain over 100 phytochemical compounds. Plants produce phytochemicals to protect themselves, but recent discoveries have shown that phytochemicals also protect humans. Some well-known phytochemicals are isoflavones in soy, lycopene in tomatoes and flavanoids in fruit. The isoflavones in soy imitate human estrogen, reducing symptoms of menopause and osteoporosis.
Phytochemicals found in cabbage, known as indoles, stimulate enzymes that interact with estrogen and have been linked to a reduced risk for breast cancer. Beans contain a phytochemical called saponin that has also been shown to inhibit cancer cells.
Garlic's phytochemical, allicin, has been shown to have antibacterial properties.
Prevention and treatment of four of the leading causes of death in the United States – cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension – are associated with phytochemicals.
To get more phytochemicals into our diets, we need to eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and take phytochemical supplements. The USDA recommends 5 to 9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day, while most people average 1 to 2 servings. One survey showed that one in nine Americans ate no fruit or vegetables the day the survey was conducted.
