The Revolutionary Glyconutrition: A Reliable Solution to Diabetes and Other chronic diseases

Amcec Health

Nov 15 2022

3 Min. Read

Reviewed by

Desmond Croker RN, Dip. OHS, BSN, MSN, CCDE

March 20 2023

Diabetes

Self Care

Lifestyle

The standard advice for those with type 2 diabetes includes losing weight, eating healthily, and exercising regularly.

However, this approach may only sometimes be effective in managing the disease. In recent years, glyconutrition has emerged as a promising solution to various disorders, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

This article will explore the revolutionary concept of glyconutrition, its benefits, sources, and its potential impact on diabetes.

What exactly is Glyconutrition?

Glyconutrition is based on the idea that eight essential sugars support the immune system and cell communication. These eight sugars are the ones that help the body prevent or heal conditions.

These sugars can help prevent or cure various conditions, including autoimmune diseases like diabetes, overactive immune disorders like allergies and asthma, inflammatory disorders like colitis, ulcers, and Fibromyalgia, as well as conditions like Alzheimer's, infertility, and heart disease.

Anecdotal evidence supports the potential of glyconutrition. People who have tried it have found relief from long-standing conditions that have previously been challenging to treat. Clinical studies have also shown promising results.

In one study, patients with type 2 diabetes who received glyconutrient supplementation for six months saw significant improvements in their blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.

Discovery of Glyconutrition

The discovery of glyconutrition stems from the Nobel Prize-winning research of Dr. Gunter Blobel in glycobiology. Glycobiology studies carbohydrates' structure, biosynthesis, and biology, also known as glycans or sugars.

Dr. Blobel's research showed that cells communicate with other body systems through sugar. The medical community has taken notice of the potential of glyconutrition, and the American Medical Association admitted in 2002 that nutritional supplementation was vital to good health and helpful in treating diseases.

Also, MIT named glyconutrition one of ten technologies that could change the world in the next decade.

How Glyconutrition Can Help persons with diabetes

The human body requires all eight glyconutrients for optimal health, just like essential amino acids and essential fatty acids. However, our bodies do not produce all the glyconutrients we need.

The eight essential sugars in glyconutrition can help regulate blood sugar levels and support insulin function. The body uses one of these sugars, mannose, to help produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

Supplementing with glyconutrients can help improve insulin function, leading to better blood sugar control.

Glyconutrition also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help manage the chronic inflammation associated with diabetes.

Chronic inflammation can lead to complications like heart disease, neuropathy, and kidney disease. By reducing inflammation, glyconutrition can help prevent these complications and improve overall health.

Intake of Glyconutrients

The breakdown of glucose and galactose should give us all the complete and natural glyconutrients. To achieve this, we should consume mainly a raw diet. However, our fresh produce is less nutritious than it used to be. The fruit we consume after going through various processes lacks nutrition, value, and active enzymes that our body requires for glycobiology.

The best way to take glyconutrients is by consuming juices, soups, and smoothies made from whole fruits and vegetables, including the valuable fiber that contains all the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

Research shows that phytonutrients and the recently identified glyconutrients can significantly reduce free radicals that cause damage to the body and lead to disease.

Eating 7-13 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily and consuming whole grains without chemical additives is the most important thing you can do to protect or regain your health, fight off autoimmune diseases, and strengthen your immune system.

Natural or free glyconutrients can be found in some grains, seeds, and organic naturally ripened fresh fruits and vegetables.

Glucose can be found in sugar cane, fructose (fruit sugar), raw honey, bee pollen, starch, rice, corn, potatoes, grapes, bananas, mangoes, cherries, strawberries, aloe, licorice, sarsaparilla, hawthorn, garlic, echinacea, and Cordyceps mushrooms.

Galactose can be found in dairy products, most fruits such as apricots, blackberries, cranberries, cherries, currants, dates, grapes, kiwi fruit, mango, orange, nectarine, passion fruit, peaches, plums, pineapple, prunes, rhubarb, pectin found in apple and oranges, echinacea, boswellia, and vegetables such as avocado, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, potato, eggplant, tomatoes, leeks, asparagus, lettuce, mushrooms, beetroot, parsnip, peas, pumpkin, spinach, beans, onions, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, fenugreek, and chestnuts.

Fucose is abundant in breast milk, brown seaweed, kelp, wakame, beer yeast, and certain types of mushrooms.

Mannose can be found in aloe, shiitake, cordyceps, kelp, black and red currants, gooseberries, soybeans, green beans, capsicum, cabbage, eggplant, tomatoes, and turnips.

Xylose can be found in psyllium seeds, kelp, guava, pears, loganberries, blackberries, raspberries, aloe, echinacea, boswellia, broccoli, spinach, eggplant, peas, green beans, cabbage, and corn.

N-acetylglucosamine is found in shark cartilage, bovine beef cartilage, shiitake, and chitin (crustacean shells).