subject: How Glyconutrients Can Impact Your Wellness And Which Plants Have Them [print this page] Glyconutrients are found in nature but are not prevalent in our modern diet due to many factors including green harvesting and wide spread use of pesticides. They are found in plants and foods that many people just do not consume on a regular basis and may not have enough glyconutrients to have a positive impact on the body but they should be considered for general health. Here are some good sources of glyconutrients in foods:
Shitake Mushrooms
Shitake mushrooms have long been known for their health benefits and have been consumed by the Chinese for over 6,000 years. A glyconutrient called lentinan can be found in nature and has been shown to enhance the immune system. Lentinan was recently shown that when given to patients with gastric cancer, reticular fibers grew at the tumor sites. Reticular cells are immune cells that have the ability to eat or ingest cancer cells and other cells like bacteria. They also increased T lymphocytes which resulted in the elimination of cancer cells.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is probably the oldest and most well known "medicinal" plant in the world. Most people know that if you burn your hand or have a scrape you can break the leaf of Aloe Vera and use the gel to help the healing process. For years it was not known what the active ingredient was in Aloe that impacted health. But in the 1980s a PhD by the name of Dr. Bill McAnalley discovered that the active ingredient in Aloe was a sacharride or glyconutrient (sugar) that is found in glycoproteins on the human cell's surface. The primary glyconutrient in Aloe Vera is mannose but there are a couple of others in it that aid in immune system support. Having a Aloe Vera plant in the house is a good idea especially if you have kids playing around the house.
Kelp/Wakame Seaweed
Both of these are rich in fucoidins or fucose. For centuries the Japanese have consumed a seaweed Undaria pinnatifida or Wakame Seaweed and has been considered a staple food for maintaining health. New research is showing that Fucose can play a very important part in the regulation of the immune system as well as the blocking of bacteria to cells and other functions as well. It is found in a mother's breast milk and on glycoproteins at the cell's surface. You'll find seaweed in some common everday foods like pudding, cheese or mayonaise but unfortunately Fucose is not active in these foods due to the processing of them. Wakame or Undaria pinnatifida is a very rich source of Fucose.
Other Sources Echinacea - contains both arabinogalactan and galactose. Another important glyconutrient is Arabinogalactan which helps to regulate the immune system.
The Larch Tree
This is the most abundant source of arabinogalactan which contains the glyconnutrient galactose. Galactose is found in the chains of glycoproteins and required for normal cell function. The digestive system has been shown benefited by a glyconutrient called Arabinogalactan. It acts as a prebiotic food for for intentistinal bacteria which leads to the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs are important for digestive tract health. It has also been shown to be beneficial to the immune system. In one study, Arabinogalactan was shown to stop the spreading of tumor cells to the liver and also to stimulate natural killer cells (NK cells).
Fruits and Veggies
Although getting glyconutrients through food is a challenge you may be able to get some through fruits like Rasberries, Blackberries, Boswellia, Spinach, Eggplant, Peas, Green Beans, Okra, Cabbage, and Corn. All of these are great sources of Xylose, a glyconutrient that is considered important for it's anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Xylose is also used in some products as a sweetener and replacement for sugar. Sadly, several other glyconutrients are not available in our modern food supply. Our diets are not rich in these glyconutrients such as N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylneuraminic acid and Mannose (considered by many to be the most important)but they are crucial for maintaining our wellness. That's why supplementation is so important! Begin supplementing your diet with all 8 of these nutrients on a daily basis and see what your body can do. Also, choose a glyconutrient supplement that has all 8 sugars in a stabilized and standardized form. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't eat the foods mentioned here but supplementing your diet can help fill the gaps where our modern diet fails.
