GLYCONUTRIENTS AND

MANNATECH

History in the making

Since the beginning of recorded history we have been trying to unravel the
mysteries of human biology. We wonder what keeps our bodies ticking along as
planned and why we eventually unravel from illness or old age. It is a constant
defiance of mortality that drives our quest to find the secrets of life and death.
Over the course of time we have seen new treatments unearthed, new medical
technologies made available and new avenues of health explored. Yet our
experience to date is far from exhaustive. The human body is such an intricate
piece of machinery and it still has so many secrets yet to be unlocked.
Three decades ago, a new key was turned. A word glyconutrients hit the
public psyche and a brand new field of health research was uncovered. Like any
new idea, particularly in the hotly debated area of nutrition, it took a while to
take hold. Take vitamins for example: it wasnt until 1912 when Frederick
Gowland Hopkins published his research into the artificial diets of common
livestock that a missing link now known to be vitamins was discovered2,
despite the fact that as early as 1753, naval physician James Lind had been
lauding the virtues of vitamin-rich diets in the treatment of scurvy3. In the same
token, glyconutrition had its early detractors who were happy to dismiss this
new health breakthrough.
The early years
It took many more years of study undertaken by pre-eminent scientists to add
validation to the field. In a large boon for glyconutrition, 2001 saw the first
annual Jenner Glycobiology and Medicine Symposium. This yearly conference
presents the latest findings in the field and brings together a multidisciplinary
collection of scientists and clinicians whose hard work and dedication keep
glycobiology at the forefront of medical research. The symposium is now in its
11th year and will be held in Paris in April4.
2001 also saw the formation of the Consortium for Functional Glycomics.
Beginning with 40 researchers in California devoting their expertise to
exploring glycobiology and its applications in health and wellness, it quickly
expanded to the rest of the United States, Canada and many parts of Europe
including Sweden and Germany5. In an article published in 2004, participants in
the Consortium remarked on the promising increase in citations regarding
glycobiology from 10,000 per year in the 90s to over 60,000 at the time of
publication and it has only grown exponentially from there6.

What we now know

Transceiver sites

While the field itself is incredibly complex and scientists have only just begun
to scratch the surface, what they can agree on is that glycans aid cellular
communication often by working together with protein receptors to set off
chains of cellular signals in such complex processes as immuno-responses and
tissue development7. Sugar has long been reviled in our diets but modern studies
are now starting to see merit in the reintroduction of saccharides in our systems.
The question is which saccharides are important and where to source them.
There are over 200 sugar saccharides that occur in nature. Eight of those
saccharides are important in the functioning of the human body. While some
such as glucose are easy to find and in fact are consumed in too high a
quantity, others are severely lacking in the modern western diet. One, mannose,
is virtually nonexistent in our daily food choices and yet is so important in cellto-cell communication, particularly in regards to the immune system. Heres
where Mannatech comes in.

Mannose from Mannatech

In the early 90s, Dr Bill McAnalley was investigating the active ingredient in
aloe vera that gave it its soothing properties. It took him years to isolate and
stabilise the compound but his tenacity ultimately paid off. The compound,
which he named acemannan, was a potent mannose polymer. When
entrepreneur Sam Caster heard of Dr Bills discovery, he knew that this was
something that had to be made available to the masses. He launched Mannatech,
a research, development and distribution company based in Texas and a reliable
source of acemannan-based products9.
Mannatechs first product, Ambrotose complex, was released in 1996. Rich in
acemannan, it also contains a host of other plant saccharides to form a wellness
solution that is easy to digest, as all of the ingredients come from natural
sources. These saccharides increase cellular communication and immunoresponses, keeping the body healthy and allowing it to more easily stave off
disease.

Mannatechs product line

Since then Mannatech has expanded its range of glyconutrient products to

include Advanced Ambrotose and Ambrotose AO as well as GIProBalanceTM and ImmunoSTART, all of which contain a healthy dose of
acemannan. Mannatech has also turned its attention to other vital nutrients with
Manna-C a natural source of vitamin C and Omega-3 with Vitamin D3
plus many more, creating a holistic range of wellness products that benefit your
entire body.

The amazing thing about all of Mannatechs products is that they harness
glycobiological concepts as they are presented in nature, sourcing botanical
ingredients that bolster health and wellness without adding harsh chemicals to
the body. Glycobiology is an exciting new field and Mannatech are the
frontrunners of its wellness applications. We cant wait to see what the future
brings for Mannatech and glycobiology.
Read the original article: Mannatech

Feeding experiments illustrating the importance of accessory factors in normal dietaries, F. Gowland

Hopkins, The Journal of Physiology, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1512834/?page=1

3

Who was James Lind, and what exactly did he achieve?, Ian Milne, James Lind

Library,www.jameslindlibrary.org/illustrating/articles/who-was-james-lind-and-what-exactly-did-he-achieve
4

11th Jenner Glycobiology and Medicine Symposium, The Royal Society of

Medicine,https://www.rsm.ac.uk/events/events-listing/2014-2015/groups/regional-programme/ref18-11thjenner-glycobiology-and-medicine-symposium.aspx
5

Participating investigators, Functional Glycomics

Gateway,www.functionalglycomics.org/glycomics/common/jsp/useraccess/pipeople.jsp
6

Sugars get an ome of their own, Megan Stephan, The Scientist, www.the-

scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/15851/title/Sugars-Get-anOme-of-their-Own/
7

CARB: Centre for Carbohydrate Recognition and Signalling, Biokemisk

Forening,www.biokemi.org/biozoom/issues/531/articles/2435
9

[VIDEO] A story of discovery, Mannatech, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybi1RZjnyBI