Sugars - interesting articles

[Guest guest]

http://www.psychologytoday.com/em/21696

Nutrition: How Sweet It Is

Despite what we've thought for years, some sugars are actually good for your health.

By Hara Estroff Marano, published on May 01, 2004 - last reviewed on August 14, 2007

From rotting teeth and expanding waistlines to crankiness and

diabetes, sugar is the culprit behind much of what ails us. The average

American consumes 39 teaspoons of the stuff a day—a recipe for a

public health disaster.

Yet, perhaps counterintuitively, sugar is now being hailed as a

healing substance at the forefront of a revolutionary science called

glyconutrition. Before you start popping M & Ms as if they were miracle

pills, be warned that it's not that kind of sugar that holds

medicinal powers. There's sugar and there are sugars.

Over 200 sugar compounds, technically known as saccharides, occur

naturally in plants. And eight of them have been identified as essential

to optimal human health.

Two of those, saccharides galactose and glucose, are commonly found

in the foods we eat. Galactose is a milk sugar and glucose is the sugar

that sits on your table; it's also a component of fruits and

grains.

Both galactose and glucose are broken down in the body and used as

fuel. While the body can use other nutrients as fuel, namely fat, the

brain relies almost exclusively on glucose to power its intense metabolic

activity.

The other six essential sugars were for the major portion of human

history part of the everyday diet, as our ancestors dined on whatever

plants they could find. Ninety-nine percent of the diet homosapiens

evolved on was made up of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and

legumes.

Today, however, the variety of sugars is largely absent from our

table, thanks to our reliance on processed foods made with refined

sugar—a substance that sweetens our tea and coffee and lurks in

sodas, fruit juices, bread and cakes. The problem is not only that it has

displaced other essential sugars but that it has been stripped of its

plant source and, with it, its nutritional value.

Meanwhile, the body requires the sugars missing from our diet for

some very strategic uses—such as, to coat nearly every cell in the

body. " They are like a Swiss army knife which the body can use for

different tasks, " says Emil Mondoa, M.D., pediatrician and coauthor

with Mindy Kitei of Sugars That Heal.

These sugars are not converted one to the other in the body. Once

ingested, they combine with proteins and fats to create compounds that

allow cells to communicate with each other. And no cells communicate more

with each other than brain cells.

Glycoproteins, for example, make up the receptors that

neurotransmitters such as serotonin bind to on nerve-cell surfaces. So

they are critical to every thought and feeling that you have.

Glyconutrients also play key roles in stressed states.

Overactivation of the stress response is thought to be the primary

mechanism of depression. The receptor for corticotropin releasing factor,

a key activator of the body-wide stress response, is a glycoprotein.

Dysfunction of the receptor is considered by many to be the core defect

in depression and anxiety disorders.

Galactose specifically contributes to the makeup of galactolipids,

basic components of nerve cell membranes. They too influence the fluidity

of the membrane and facilitate all cell transactions.

On the frontiers of medicine, researchers are testing therapeutic

applications of various glyconutrients missing from our everyday diet.

Preliminary clinical trials have shown that supplementation with

glyconutrients may enhance memory, support a variety of higher brain

functions, and help curb the stress response.

They also reduce allergies and allay symptoms of arthritis,

diabetes, lupus and kidney disease (in animals). Several labs and are

looking into ways to use sugar compounds to improve the medicines used to

fight anemia, HIV and cancer.

Natural sources of glyconutrients exist all around us. You might

not know it because nutritional sugars are not necessarily sweet; most

are tasteless. Mannose is one of the eight essential saccharides and

it's found in cabbage, broccoli, and seeds. It's thought to

be important in the structure of nerve cells.

Fucose, another glyconutrient, is thought to be particularly active

at the synaptic junctions between nerve cells. It's found in

mushrooms and in seeds. Xylose, yet another, is present in yeast, rye and

barley.

Until we better understand how to heal ourselves with what we

choose to eat, these so-called " sweet medicines " can be found

in powdery nutritional supplements, derived from plant substances. But

your best bet, as always, is to eat a variety of unprocessed

foods.

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/glucose-galactose-malabsorptionWhat is glucose-galactose malabsorption?

Glucose-galactose malabsorption is a condition in which the cells

lining the intestine cannot take in the sugars glucose and galactose,

which prevents proper digestion of these molecules and larger molecules

made from them.

Glucose and galactose are called simple sugars, or monosaccharides.

Sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (the sugar found in milk) are called

disaccharides because they are made from two simple sugars, and are

broken down into these simple sugars during digestion. Sucrose is

broken down into glucose and another simple sugar called fructose, and

lactose is broken down into glucose and galactose. As a result,

lactose, sucrose and other compounds made from sugar molecules

(carbohydrates) cannot be digested by individuals with

glucose-galactose malabsorption.

Glucose-galactose malabsorption generally becomes apparent in the

first few weeks of a baby's life. Affected infants experience severe

diarrhea resulting in life-threatening dehydration, increased acidity

of the blood and tissues (acidosis), and weight loss when fed breast

milk or regular infant formulas. However, they are able to digest

fructose-based formulas that do not contain glucose or galactose. Some

affected children are better able to tolerate glucose and galactose as

they get older.

Small amounts of glucose in the urine (mild glucosuria) may occur

intermittently in this disorder. Affected individuals may also develop

kidney stones or more widespread deposits of calcium within the kidneys.

How common is glucose-galactose malabsorption?

Glucose-galactose malabsorption is a rare disorder; only a few

hundred cases have been identified worldwide. However, as many as 10

percent of the population may have a somewhat reduced capacity for

glucose absorption without associated health problems. This condition

may be a milder variation of glucose-galactose malabsorption.

What genes are related to glucose-galactose malabsorption?

Mutations in the SLC5A1 gene cause glucose-galactose malabsorption.

The SLC5A1 gene provides instructions for producing a sodium/glucose

cotransporter protein called SGLT1. This protein is found mainly in the

intestinal tract and, to a lesser extent, in the kidneys, where it is

involved in transporting glucose and the structurally similar galactose

across cell membranes.

The sodium/glucose cotransporter protein is important in the

functioning of intestinal epithelial cells, which are cells that line

the walls of the intestine. These cells have fingerlike projections

called microvilli that absorb nutrients from food as it passes through

the intestine. Based on their appearance, groups of these microvilli

are known collectively as the brush border. The sodium/glucose

cotransporter protein is involved in the process of using energy to

move glucose and galactose across the brush border membrane for

absorption, a mechanism called active transport. Sodium and water are

transported across the brush border along with the sugars in this

process.

Mutations that prevent the sodium/glucose cotransporter protein from

performing this function result in a buildup of glucose and galactose

in the intestinal tract. This failure of active transport prevents the

glucose and galactose from being absorbed and providing nourishment to

the body. In addition, the water that normally would have been

transported across the brush border with the sugar instead remains in

the intestinal tract to be expelled with the stool, resulting in

dehydration of the body's tissues and severe diarrhea.

Read more about the SLC5A1 gene.

How do people inherit glucose-galactose malabsorption?

This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which

means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. Most often,

the parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each

carry one copy of the mutated gene, but do not show signs and symptoms

of the condition. In some cases, individuals with one altered gene have

reduced levels of glucose absorption capacity as measured in laboratory

tests, but this has not generally been shown to have significant health

effects.

Where can I find information about diagnosis, management, or treatment of glucose-galactose malabsorption?

You might find information on the diagnosis or management of glucose-galactose malabsorption in Educational resources and Patient support.

To locate a healthcare provider, see How can I find a genetics professional in my area? in the Handbook.

Where can I find additional information about glucose-galactose malabsorption?

You may find the following resources about glucose-galactose

malabsorption helpful. These materials are written for the general

public.

MedlinePlus - Health information (2 links)

Additional NIH Resources - National Institutes of HealthNational Center for Biotechnology Information: Genes and Disease

Educational resources - Information pagesOrphanet

Patient support - For patients and families (2 links)

You may also be interested in these resources, which are designed for healthcare professionals and researchers.

PubMed - Recent literature

Online Books - Medical and science textsScriver's

Online Metabolic and Molecular Bases of Inherited Disease (OMMBID):

Familial Glucose-Galactose Malabsorption and Hereditary Renal Glycosuria

OMIM - Genetic disorder catalog

What other names do people use for glucose-galactose malabsorption?

carbohydrate intolerancecomplex carbohydrate intoleranceGGMmonosaccharide malabsorption

See How are genetic conditions and genes named? in the Handbook.

What if I still have specific questions about glucose-galactose malabsorption?

Ask the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center.

Submit your question to Ask the Geneticist.

Definition of Galactose

Galactose: A sugar contained in milk. Galactose makes up half

of the sugar called lactose that is found in milk. Lactose is called a

disaccharide, di meaning 2, since lactose is made up of two sugars,

galactose and glucose, bound together. Galactose is metabolized (used) through the action of an enzyme called GALT (galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase).

[Guest guest]

At 05:20 PM 8/27/2010, you wrote:

Galactose is a milk sugar and

glucose is the sugar that sits on your table; it's also a component of

fruits and grains.

Interesting article, but this statement is false and makes me question

the rest of it. Table sugar is SUCROSE, not glucose.

Also, the glyco-nutrients sold as supplements are not recommended on

SCD.

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

Babette the Foundling Beagle

[Guest guest]

May be of interest: My son Andy who was 11 at the time we entered the testing

that became Spectracell was found to have fructose in his urine and galactose in

his blood. Neither belong in those places. After 3 yrs. of the prescribed

supplements he was apparently cured. So it seems to me that a genetic

explanation would be an oversimplification. Either that or this is epigenetics

at work.

Blessings,

Artful Carol

Former me: From babyhood - CFS, Depression, Candida, Severe Chemical, Inhalant,

and Food Allergies. Current me: Global Carb and Fungal Problems well-controlled

past 30 yr. by extremely low-carb, no dairy, no grains allergy/anti-yeast diet,

SCD 01/05. After 35 yrs. no need for allergy shots since SCD! Magnesium/Vits

A, B, D, E/Evening Primrose, Fish, Olive, and Other Oils, Lecithin. 2 grown kids

recovered from serious developmental problems which I believe were

fungally-caused.

> >Galactose is a milk sugar and glucose is the

> >sugar that sits on your table; it's also a component of fruits and grains.

>

> Interesting article, but this statement is false

> and makes me question the rest of it. Table sugar is SUCROSE, not glucose.

>

> Also, the glyco-nutrients sold as supplements are not recommended on SCD.

>

>

> — Marilyn

> New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

> Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

> Darn Good SCD Cook

> No Human Children

> Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

> Babette the Foundling Beagle

>