Aloe Vera Glyconutrient
Consolidated Benefit Review
A Consolidated Review of Potential Benefits
from the Scientific Literature
Important Note: The following papers should be read based on an educational perspective only, and are not meant to be promotional in terms of their intended purpose. If you are facing any particular health challenges, please make all relevant decisions about your healthcare based on consultations and advice from a health professional who will provide a proven therapy. Only consider the information provided herein in conjunction with the care of a healthcare professional.
Click Here to go directly to a list of consolidated health benefits and associated scientific articles.
INTRODUCTION
Over the past 15 years the field of glycobiology has expanded dramatically. Many different scientists who have undertaken research in the field of glycobiology have proposed that dietary sugars may present a new class of nutrients called glyconutrients, which have their own particular health benefits.
Glycobiology is defined as: the science concerned with the nature and role of carbohydrates in biological events. Glyco means “sweet” and refers to monosaccharides or sugars, with the term monosaccharide meaning molecule, such as glucose or mannose. The word nutrient means something that is useful to the body, and therefore the word glyconutrient means sugar molecules that are useful to the body.
The word sugar is associated with simply or complex structures, that are often referred to as carbohydrates that contain two or more sugar molecules connected together to form a larger overall molecule. Many people learn in basic science and nutrition classes that sugar molecules are used for energy production. What many people do not know about is how various kinds of sugar molecules are able to orchestrate the structure and function of the body in ways that have nothing to do with energy production.
The general term “cell to cell communication” is often used to describe a very important role that sugar molecules play in the body to maintain healthy structure and function. There are many different sugar molecules involved in the orchestration of cell to cell communication, but the primary sugar molecule in this regard is mannose, with galactose as the second most important.
An area of debate when it comes to sugar molecules that facilitate cell to cell communication is whether there are many different such molecules that need to be taken together orally as a dietary supplement in order for the highest level of health benefits to be forthcoming. The literature does not fully support this contention, but on the other hand provides very strong proof for the health benefits of mannose and galactose.
All the scientific research concerning mannose and galactose taken orally has involved Aloe Vera. When extracted from the Aloe Vera plant, mannose and galactose are present as a single molecule combined together in a long branching chain at a 2 for 1 ratio respectively. This combined molecule from Aloe Vera is called a galactomannan.
What is important to understand about glyconutrients is that they do not interface with the cells of the body to support cellular communication systems in their sugar molecule structure only, but instead form what are called glycoconjugates through their association with proteins and lipids. These conjugates are therefore called glycoproteins and glycolipids.
Glycoconjugates in their interface with cell surfaces and in the blood are responsible for cellular recognition processes. This enables the body to perform the many complicated functions required for health. There is a binding between receptor sites from cell to cell based on the mediation of glyconjugates, and this allows the cells to communicate with one another. Cell-to-cell communication is a way to define this mediating process. In the blood glyconutrients also constitute important parts of glycoproteins.
From a theoretical perspective, scientists for years hypothesized that glycoprotein sugars were based solely on dietary glucose. It is interesting to note that proteins do not usually exist as independent amino acid molecules, but most of the time as a combination of protein and sugar molecules. These combined molecules are very important in terms of cell to cell communication.
The idea that glycoprotein sugars were based on glucose only has been the dominant theory until recently. In fact, a number of Nobel Prize awards for chemistry have dealt with this issue of more than glucose involved in the formation of glycoprotein sugars. The glucose theory was proven to be false. The body can either produce these other sugars (such as mannose and galactose) from other sugars based on multi-step enzyme conversion or in nutritional form to be taken orally and absorbed through the gut. The nutritional form of mannose and galactose has advantages over the body producing them internally, based on the fact that less time and energy is required for the cells to gain access to these all important sugars for cell to cell communication purposes.
The only source proven as reliable for mannose and galactose has been from Aloe Vera gel, which is in the form of galactomannans and with mannose and galactose combined together as one molecule. Obtaining the two most important glyconutrient sugars from Aloe Vera gel is very revealing when it comes to supplying the body a form of these molecules that it can actually integrate into the glycoconjugate systems and in the formation of glycoproteins that are so important in terms of protein conversion that plays into a vast array of processes in the body.
It has been demonstrated with a vast range of clinical research on animals and humans that higher molecular weight galactomannan molecules are much more useable when it comes to supporting a healthy immune system and overall cell to cell communication. This may seem counterintuitive when it comes to providing the mannose and galactose building blocks in the formation of glycoconjugates and glycoprotein sugars for cell mediated responses. But lower molecular weight galactomannan molecules from Aloe Vera gel have very little impact on cell mediated responses as compared to higher molecular weight molecules. The larger the molecular weights of any molecular structure, the more individual molecules there are in combination. Therefore, the larger the molecular weight of galactomannans, the larger the molecule is and the more individual mannose and galactose molecules there are in long linear chains connected to each other.
For a galactomannan extract from Aloe Vera to provide meaningful health benefits based on its capacity to support the glycoconjugate and glycoprotein systems in the body it must be produced such that it maintains not only the lower molecular weights but also the higher molecular weights. The issue of a functional Aloe Vera product is a confusing one for many consumers and healthcare professionals. Many consumers use Aloe Vera products with little or no health benefits because the galactomannan active ingredients have not been stabilized in the manufacturing process.
Below is a list of health benefits and associated reference articles that have been associated with glyconutrients and most notably with mannose and galactose. This list of scientific articles includes those that are based on information derived from: 1) in vitro (test tube) studies, 2) animal studies, 3) single human case reports and 4) large human clinical trials. When it comes to the human studies, various routes of administration and various dosage amounts were used. None of the studies cited with the articles presented below reach the standard of proof required for drugs. On the other hand, nutritional supplement products are highly safe compared to drugs. This is because they support normal, healthy structure and function and are not intended to alter or override normal physiology.
It is well accepted that nutritional supplements support normal, healthy structure and function of the body. However, individuals who are sick and who wish to use nutritional supplements in addition to standard, proven therapy need to discuss this with their health care professional. Specific marketed glyconutrient products were not involved with the studies referenced on this page. This list of health benefits based on current and ongoing research for potential benefits from using glyconutrients is meant to point medical researchers toward areas that glyconutrients have shown promise for improved health. This information is also provided to help educate consumers who may wish to investigate the use of glyconutrients as a safe nutritional adjunct to traditional therapy.
About this section on consolidated benefits:
One of the points being made with the consolidated literature review on this website about glyconutrients is that most of the research points to the dominance of mannose and galactose when it comes to benefiting the immune system and overall cell to cell communication. The only scientifically validated source for mannose and galactose to be administered from the outside in, with dietary supplements taken orally, is from Aloe Vera gel in the form of galactomannans. There is not other realistic source for mannose and galactose to take internally in order to bolster the availability of mannose and galactose for the immune system, cell to cell communication and the need for glycoproteins in plasma.
Another important point to consider in presenting the following list of benefits is that the associated research articles were never involved in the direct study of any particular product by trade name associated with the authors of this website. This is in contrast to other websites that present science resources concerning the ingredients in their products.
INDEX
Immune System Modulation (healthy immune system, arthritis prevention, tissue healing)
Cancer
Increased Calcium Absorption
Normal Flora for the Gut
Microbial Effects
A) IMMUNE SYSTEM MODULATION
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1) Glyconutrients or their metabolic products are necessary for a healthy immune system and itscells
2) Immune System specific effects
● Arthritis Prevention
● Tissue Healing and Repair as related to Glyconutrients and or their Metabolites
B) CANCER
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C) INCREASED CALCIUM ABSORPTION
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● Galactose Dominant Research: Griessen M;Speich PV;Infante F;Bartholdi P;Cochet B;Donath
A;Courvoisier B;Bonjour JP;. Effect of absorbable and nonabsorbable sugars on intestinal calcium
absorption in humans. Gastroenterology. 1989; 96: 769-775.
D) ASSISTS IN THE MAINTENANCE OF NORMAL FLORA BACTERIA IN THE GUT
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● Galactose Dominant Research Bouhnik Y;Flourie B;D'Agay-Abensour L;. Administration of
transgalacto-oligosaccharides increases fecal bifidobacteria and modifies colonic fermentation
metabolism in healthy humans. J Nutr. 1997; 127: 444-448.
E) MICROBIAL INFECTIONS
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