Glyconutrient
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Glyconutrient is a term used by the multi-level marketing company Mannatech, and other supplement vendors, to describe a particular class of dietary supplement.[1]
As Mannatech uses the term in labeling its products, such as Ambrotose, glyconutrient refers to mixtures of polysaccharides, such as exudate tree gums and high molecular weight aloe vera extracts containing fermentable dietary fiber and plant extracts, as well as simple sugars or starch. Citation needed For the use of individual natural products as drugs, see Pharmacognosy.
In the marketing literature, glyconutrient is used to refer to an unspecified mixture of 8 biologically active sugars, although there is no reliably documented evidence that people are generally deficient in such sugars. [2] The human body produces enzymes to interconvert among these sugars; only in exceedingly rare genetic diseases, such as leukocyte adhesion deficiency, have even single-sugar deficiencies been documented. Furthermore, there are no reliable, controlled studies to show that glyconutrients provide any improvement against any medical disorder.[2][3]
Many of the claims for the value of glyconutrients are unsubstantiated; a lawsuit was filed against Mannatech in September 2005 for violations of the Exchange Act related to material misrepresentations made by the company concerning its products' efficacy and uses.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Amazon.com Health Mind and Body; Glyconutrients by Amazon.com Retrieved March 25, 2007.
- ^ a b American Cancer Society question page for glyconutrients
- ^ Wellness Guide to Dietary Supplements by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, January 2006. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
- ^ Milberg Weiss Announces the Filing of a Class Action Lawsuit Against Mannatech, Inc. and Certain Individual Defendants on Behalf Of Investors. Business Wire. September 12, 2005. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
[edit] Further reading
- Martin Peterson, Arnold Johnson (1978) Encyclopedia of Food Science, Avi Publishing Co., Westport CT ISBN 0-87055-227-9
- Martin A. Rambal C. Berger V. Parlor S. Louisot P Availability of specific sugars for glycoconjugate biosynthesis. A need for further investigation in man. Biochemia 1988 pg.75-86
- Whelan W.J. Website Horrors - Essential What? IUBMB Life, 57, (10): 709, October 2005.
