Glyconutrients and Their Importance for the Health

The body needs many specific types of sugar and sugar-like substances to work properly. A group of these has been given the nameglyconutrients. This term is not used in scientific textbooks. The term is an invention of a supplement company, Mannatech, but the substances included in this group all have specific roles in the human body that are described in scientific literature.

The body has the ability to make all the glyconutrients, but there are claims that this production tend to be too slow, so that the body may get too little of them if they are not supplied through the diet. These claims are not yet definitely proven scientifically. However, many persons report health gains after having applied asupplement of glyconutrients.

The sugar type glucose is the most central gyconutrient. Glucose is used as an energy source, and it is used to produce other important substances, for example the other glyconutrients. Glucose should be supplied in a manner that allows it to be absorbed evenly through the whole day. Such an even absorption is secured by eating food that will releaseglucose gradually during the digestive process. Such a food is said to have a low glycemic index. Examples of such food types are beans, peas, full corn cereals or bread, and to a less extend potatoes and sweet fruit in natural form. Many of these foods contain starch that will gradually be broken down to freeglucose when digested.
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