History of glyconutrients:
1880 - Monosaccharides first identified.
1952 - Fresh Aloe gel heals radiation burns on rabbits.
1970 - 500 glycobiology papers published.
1976 - Eight essential sugars identified in glycoproteins and glycolipids.
1980 - 1500 glycobiology papers published.
1990 - 4000 glycobiology papers published.
1990 - Role of carbohydrates involved in intercellular communication and
immune function described in BioTechnology Vol 8.
1995 - Cell surface sugars reported necessary for normal immune
function.
1996 - Harper's Biochemistry, Murray et al.: chapter on glycoproteins
focuses on the 8 necessary sugars used in glycoproteins and
glycolipids for cellular communication.
1998 - Acta Anatomica special March issue on glycoscience; reports the
information content of biological sugar combinations exceeds the
DNA code.
1998 - Finding that galactose and mannose are "essential" sugars, not
synthesized from glucose.
1999 - Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine Winner was for the
discovery that (glyco) proteins have intrinsic signals that govern
their transport and localization in the cell.
2000 - 8000 glycobiology papers published.
2001 - Science March 23 issue features "Carbohydrates and
glycobiology"; reviews structural and functional uses of 8 critical
sugars in cellular physiology.
2001 - NIH grants consortium $34 million to study cell-cell communication
interactions.
2002 - Scientific American: July "Sweet Medicine: Building Better Drugs
from Sugars."
2002 - New Scientist Archive: October story depicts glycobiology as the
future of immunology, neurology, developmental biology, and
disease research.
2003 - M.I.T. Technology Review: February: "Glycomics" identified as
"One of 10 Emerging Technologies That Will Change the World."
2004 - DVD - Glyconutrients and Stem Cell Production by H. Reginald
McDaniel, M.D.
2004 –Glyconutrients and Stem Cell Production DVD by H. Reginald
McDaniel, M.D.
2004 –Accredited & Certification by University of Miami School of Medicine,
Division of Complementary Medicine, November.
2006 –EXPLORE, November/December 2006, Vol 2, No 6, “Glyconutrients:
The State of the Science and the Impact of Glycomics”, by Victor
Sierpina, MD and Robert Murray, MD, PhD. Continuing Medical
Education (CME) designated by University of Minnesota.
2007 –April. Medline – PubMed.gov has over 425,000 articles that refer to
“glycoprotein”
Cell-to-cell communication
Cellular communication is literally the most important concept in nutrition, and when we support this communication process we are empowering every single cell and every single part of the body to function the way it is supposed to.
This can be described as a network communication protocol or language of biological cellular information similar to amino acids and nucleic acids, but with unsurpassed coding capacity.
Every cell in your body is surrounded by monosaccharides. There are eight that are essential. These monosaccharides can change their configurations or communication messages thousands of times per seconds. Cells actually touch each other in order to communicate. Dysfunction and disease occur when the components necessary for cell-to-cell communication are absent or are in short supply.
There are different alphabets, languages and forms of communicating. In this context there is also a very unique system called cell-to-cell communication. The reason we are alive (healthy or sick) is that there is a communication process going on within our own bodies.
The cellular communication is much more complex than our alphabet and it uses 8 basic forms in this process. To construct our alphabet we, human
beings use 4 basic geometrical forms. To construct our cellular alphabet our body is using 8 basic forms called glyconutrients. If present cells can “talk”.
What are glyconutrients?
Glyconutrients are plant carbohydrates (monosaccharides). There are over 200 carbohydrates or biological sugars but only 8 are essential to bodily function.
These are:
• Fucose
• Galactose
• Glucose
• Mannose
• N-acetylglucosamine
• N-acetylgalactosamine
• N-acetylneuraminic acid (a sialic acid).
• Xylose
Every cell in our body –all 600 trillion of them- needs glyconutrients
We know glyconutrients are the gatekeepers of the cell. Nothing can get in or out of the cell without going through these glyconutrients. They are what keep out viruses and harmful bacteria. They are necessary for receiving vitamins and minerals into the cell. For example, the body can have an abundance of calcium but unless these glyconutrients are in place it cannot be taken into bone cells. These glyconutrients should coat the surface of every cell in the entire body. Their functions are extremely diverse and absolutely necessary. If these glyconutrients are not present a complete breakdown of proper functioning could occur. Glyconutritional supplements are based on new understanding in the biochemistry of how the human body maintains health at the cellular level.
Healthy cells lead to healthy tissue; healthy tissue leads to healthy organs; and healthy organs leads to healthy bodies.
All living cells in the human body have glycoproteins on their surfaces. When healthy, attached to these glycoproteins are strands of glyconutrients protruding outward from each cell. It is these glyconutrients that allow cells to communicate with other cells when they touch. If these glyconutrients are lacking in a person's diet, cells cannot recognize (through cellular communication) a disease or illness and people then could get sick. Proper cell-to-cell communication is how the human body heals itself.
If these sugars are lacking then the body is forced to make them (through a backup system), which uses hundreds of enzymes and energy. Our bodies cannot always make them if our enzymes are lacking. Lacking just one enzyme can prevent the body from making all of the sugars.
Many times the human body cannot make enough of the glyconutrients and cells are unable to communicate. In the case of cancer (an under active immune disorder), the B cells may not recognize the cancer (a possible cellular miscommunication) and a person may then get cancer. In the case of lupus, MS and type 1 diabetes, the immune system is overactive and attacks the body. This is primarily because the suppressor cells in the immune system do not get the cellular message to shut down the immune system (a possible cellular miscommunication) after the now-aggressive immune system successfully recognized and destroyed a disease-causing virus, bacteria or other toxin. Some of the toxins people continue to get into their bodies include Aspartame, Alloxan, chlorine and chloramines.
Glycobiology is the study of glyconutrients. Although the first monosaccharides were identified in 1880 glycobiology is a fairly new field of research.
How did this fascinating research start? Early studies into this subject where conducted in Japan with elementary research into the carbohydrate group that begun after the Second World War. Research started to accelerate in the 1960’s as scientists began to study glycoconjugates, plant enzymes and sugars. In the 1970’s work intensified as more scientists became interested and started joining together. By the 80’s work spread to the West. In the West early research was done in the 1980’s with sugars. However the actual study of glyconutrients (glycobiology) really started to accelerate in the 1990’s. Since then a wealth of information has been unearthed and is revolutionising healthcare and the treatment of many diseases and illnesses. It is a new and emerging area of nutritional science that even doctors have little knowledge about.
Glycobiology is an important discovery for your immune system. Science and medicine have long tried to understand the code by which the cells in the body communicate with one another in order for its complex functions to occur. For example, how does your digestive system know which food components to absorb into the blood stream and which to ignore? Or which cells to attack and destroy and which to protect and nurture? That code has now been broken. This role is undertaken by glyconutrients. Researchers proclaim it to be the most important discovery in the history of medicine … the key to a long, healthy life.
Glycobiology
These 8 essential glyconutrients play an essential role in bodily function, because they provide the key to communication between all cells in the human body. We can think of them as the alphabet of cell-to-cell communication. Unfortunately only two of these eight sugars are in our diet: glucose and galactose. For extensive information read: Why we need to supplement glyconutrients.
Think of it like typing an email. If you were trying to type a really important email, but you only had one fourth of the letters of the alphabet on your keyboard, how would it work? Do you think the recipient would understand the email very well? When your body doesn't have the "letters" or glyconutrients it needs to communicate, the immune system starts breaking down. But when your cells have a proper glyconutrient structure they can communicate which each other. Now they can identify the damaged and "sick" cells and then kill or repair these cells as necessary. When the body's immune system has what it needs, it recognizes sites of dysfunction and can repair damage.
Glyconutrients will help you by giving your cells the building blocks they need to function so that your body can heal, protect & repair itself as it was designed to do.