Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Glyconutrient study results

I have gotten more questions about the glyconutrients so I thought I would post some study results here from various sites.  Please note that I am not suggesting or endorsing the use of glyconutrients, just sharing what I found in my own research on the topic.  It was this information coupled with the many testimonials I was able to find on websites and in forum discussions, that pushed us towards giving glyconutrients a try.

We definitely saw language gains with our two year old, literally following his first dose!

From the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center - Effects of a Glyconutritional Supplement on Brain Potentials Associated with Language Processing.  

The effects of a nutritional supplement on language processing were studied in 20 healthy 20-30 year-old males.

Subjects were tested on two separate visits one week apart. On the first visit each subject received either supplement or placebo prior to testing. On the second visit subjects received the opposite
treatment. During testing, subjects judged (agree or disagree) whether a word following a sentence was related to the sentence. Brain potentials were recorded during testing, averaged separately for conditions, and analyzed using SPSS repeated measures software. Relative to placebo, the supplement was associated with decreased reaction time and a significant amplitude increase of the ERP slow-wave response in the agree condition. The slow-wave response has been related to post-stimulus processing,
i.e., preparation for the next stimulus and reflection on what has just transpired. These findings are consistent with a facilitatory effect of the nutritional supplement on information processing

The late-occurring Slow Wave did discriminate between treatment conditions,
showing a significant supplement-related amplitude increase in the Agree condition. This effect -- greatest at sites associated with executive functioning, alertness and emotion (i.e., frontally; Andreassi, 2000) -- has been related to post-decisional processing. These findings are consistent with a facilitatory effect of the nutritional supplement on aspects of performance and information processing.
It is important to note that the supplement did not have any side effects, and consequently these positive influences are not associated with other known supplement-related effects.
-Andreassi, J.L. (2000) Psychophysiology 4th edition, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ.



Oxidative stress has been an ongoing problem with children on the spectrum, so this study is particularly interesting.

Effect of Ambrotose AO® on resting and exercise-induced antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress in healthy adults

Richard J Bloomer , Robert E Canale , Megan M Blankenship and Kelsey H Fisher-Wellman
Cardiorespiratory/Metabolic Laboratory, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA

Methods

25 individuals (7 trained and 5 untrained men; 7 trained and 6 untrained women) received Ambrotose AO® (4 capsules per day = 2 grams per day) or a placebo for 3 weeks in a random order, double blind cross-over design (with a 3 week washout period). Blood samples were collected at rest, and at 0 and 30 minutes following a graded exercise treadmill test (GXT) performed to exhaustion, both before and after each 3 week supplementation period. Samples were analyzed for Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC), Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and nitrate/nitrite (NOx). Quality of life was assessed using the SF-12 form and exercise time to exhaustion was recorded. Resting blood samples were analyzed for complete blood count (CBC), metabolic panel, and lipid panel before and after each 3 week supplementation period. Dietary intake during the week before each exercise test was recorded.

Results

No condition effects were noted for SF-12 data, for GXT time to exhaustion, or for any variable within the CBC, metabolic panel, or lipid panel (p > 0.05). Treatment with Ambrotose AO® resulted in an increase in resting levels of TEAC (p = 0.02) and ORAC (p < 0.0001). No significant change was noted in resting levels of MDA, H2O2, or NOx (p > 0.05). Exercise resulted in an acute increase in TEAC, MDA, and H2O2 (p < 0.05), all which were higher at 0 minutes post exercise compared to pre exercise (p < 0.05). No condition effects were noted for exercise related data (p > 0.05), with the exception of ORAC (p = 0.0005) which was greater at 30 minutes post exercise for Ambrotose AO® compared to placebo.

Conclusion

Ambrotose AO® at a daily dosage of 4 capsules per day increases resting blood antioxidant capacity and may enhance post exercise antioxidant capacity. However, no statistically detected difference is observed in resting or exercise-induced oxidative stress biomarkers, in quality of life, or in GXT time to exhaustion.


How many children on the ASD have you heard of that are infected with the HHV-6 virus?  Read on...

Integr Physiol Behav Sci. 1998 Jul-Sep;33(3):280-7.

The in vitro immunomodulatory effects of glyconutrients on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

University of California, Irvine, Department of Medicine, Orange 92668, USA.

Abstract

In humans, eight monosaccharides are required for the synthesis of glycoproteins. Dietary supplements that supply these crucial sugars are known as glyconutrients. A glyconutrient compound was added to Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) isolated from normal controls and patients with the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a disease associated with immune dysregulation. The in vitro immunomodulatory effects were investigated. Cell surface expression of the glycoproteins CD5, CD8, and CD11a were significantly lower in patients with CFS compared to normal controls. Addition of glyconutrient homogenate to PBMC from patients with CFS stimulated with phytohemagglutinin significantly increased the expression of each glycoprotein. Furthermore, natural killer (NK) cell function was reduced in CFS patients. The glyconutrient preparation significantly enhanced NK cell activity versus human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6)-infected H9 cells in an 8 h 51Cr release assay compared to placebo for PBMC from patients with CFS (p< .01). Finally, apoptosis was significantly higher in patients with CFS. The percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly decreased in PBMC from patients with CFS that had been incubated for 48 h with glyconutrients. Thus, glyconutrients improved abnormal immune parameters in vitro in patients with CFS.
PMID: 9829439 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]



This one is big for me, because our kids fight daily pathogenic overgrowth due to immune system dysfunction, also from PubMed.
Int J Immunopharmacol. 2000 Apr;22(4):299-308.

Effects of a glyconutrient on macrophage functions.

Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, USA.

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that mannosylated bovine serum albumin (mBSA) enhances the respiratory burst (RB), phagocytosis, and killing of Candida albicans and Escherichia coli by resident murine peritoneal macrophages (Mphi). Upregulation of the above Mphi functions was associated with the binding of mBSA to the macrophage mannose receptor. The present study was done to determine if certain glyconutrients could stimulate Mphi functions in a similar manner. Resident peritoneal murine Mphi collected from C57BL/6 mice were exposed to the glyconutrients for 10 and 60 min. The RB was measured using chemiluminescence. Both phagocytosis and killing were measured after incubation with each of the following microorganisms: Candida albicans, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The percent phagocytosis and killing were determined using fluorescence microscopy. Results indicated that certain glyconutrients, caused a dose and time dependent effect on Mphi-induced killing of all three microorganisms.
PMID: 10689103 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]



Plant-derived nutraceutical may boost brain power
Glyconutrient supplementation may have effects on cognitive function, according to a study that examined the influence of these plant sugars on perception, cognition and memory in 62 college students. In randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial with 1-week wash out periods, participants received 1 tablespoon of glyconutrients or placebo (rice starch) 45 minutes before performing cognitive tasks designed to evaluate perceptual skills, attention, working memory, etc. The students' scores indicated significant improvement in accuracy of visual discrimination (of environmental inputs) following glyconutrient supplementation but not following placebo. In addition, scores on the simple, but not complex, working memory task were better after glyconutrient consumption than after placebo; although the difference was significant for only one of two sessions. Scores on tasks of cognition and attention were not significantly different between glyconutrient and placebo conditions.

Source: Stancil AN and Hicks LH.* Glyconutrients and perception, cognition, and memory. Percept Mot Skills. 2009;108: 259-270

* Both at Howard University, Washington, DC



Shirley's Wellness Cafe (where I go frequently for health info) has a number of listed glyconutrient cases here.

This is from Shirley's Wellness Cafe

C.E. Pippenger, PhD, the Peter C. and Pat Cook research professor in the department of biomedica/health sciences at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., has heard some anecdotal accounts from pediatric pulmonologists who have seen patients helped tremendously by glyconutrients (saccharides).  Their reports spurred him to conduct one of the country's few double-blind, phyto-controlled studies of nutritional supplements in children with asthma.
In his study, Dr. Pippenger followed 100 patients with asthma and their use of glyconutrients, phytonutrients and a combination of both starting in January 2001.  Ninety-two patients from the original group completed the study by June 2002.  Most patients who didn't complete the study left it due to compliance problems.  He expects results will be available sometime this fall.
"We began the study because we believe the science surrounding glycobiology and receptors and interrelationships between sugars, cell function and the immune system are justified," Dr. Pippenger said.  "If we can demonstrate that there's an effectiveness to nutritional supplements, then we can have a strong foundation for administering these to asthmatic children.  They may decrease the amount of other medications the children."
Sharon Riesen, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, Calif., also has been studying glyconutrients and their effects on children with asthma.  Preliminary results of her open-label, controlled crossover study who 60 percent to 70 percent of its participants who used glyconutrients reported improvement of their asthma symptoms.  Glyconutrients appeared safe, and no child involved in the study needed to stop due to side effects, "which is incredibly rare, even with the placebo," she said.
"My passion is to get this information out to physicians that they could be using glyconutrients instead of medicines like prednisone," Dr. Riesen said.  "The side effects of so many of the asthma medicines are intense.  To have the kind of success that glyconutrients appear to have with asthma without side effects and have the majority of physicians not know anything about it is a shame."


For yet another wonderful explanation of glyconutrients by a mainstream doctor of medicine, Dr. Reg McDaniel, click here.


ManaRelief provides glyconutrients to malnurished children and orphans around the world and they have been doing it for 11 years!  In fact, if you look at some of the pictures here, you will see children holding bottles of Mannatech glyconutrients that have been donated by the company.

2 comments:

Katherine Josh said...

i've been drinking bird nest soup every night (i only get the homemade kind back at home). the only reason why i drink it is because it's supposed to be good for complexion.

i’ve been taking the store-bought kind online (e.g. www.geocities.jp/hongkong_bird_nest/index_e.htm of famous branded only of course) which is directly mailed from Hong Kong. this would be at a more affordable price.

Jessica said...

I have never heard of this, I will check it out, thanks Katherine!