Exclusive Arrangement to Purchase Plant Extract Recognized for Its Health Benefits

The Glyconutritional leading company has announced it has entered into an exclusive arrangement with Swiss-based Lonza to purchase and market worldwide a beneficial dietary fiber harvested from the American larch tree.

The agreement stipulates that the Glyconutritional leading company will be the only company allowed to purchase the fiber, arabinogalactan, from Lonza when it is to be used in nutritional supplements containing any two of the following ingredients: naturally derived gums and resins, aloe extract, algal extract or glucosamine.

Currently Lonza is only firm harvesting the soluble and odorless fiber, arabinogalactan, from the American larch. Known as one of the fastest-growing trees in North America, the larch was a staple among early Native Americans, who used the tree's resin, leaves and bark for medicinal food and cosmetic applications. Arabinogalactan, which is the most abundant ingredient in the formulated "blend" of Glyconutrients, contains dietary sugars shown to benefit the immune system.

"Because arabinogalactan derived from the American larch exists in much higher concentrations than the protein-bound arabinogalactan found in minimal quantities in many other plants, it can be extracted from the cell lumen in its natural state by soaking the wood chips in water. Unlike other processes that use chemicals to extract arabinogalactan from plants, Lonza uses a patented process that utilizes only steam and water. "

"Literature and historical archives note that Native Americans benefited from using portions of the American larch to improve health. Some tribes concocted tea from the tree's bark for use as a laxative, tonic and diuretic. Others used the bark and resin to wash wounds, to bathe children to make them strong or as an infusion for colds and tuberculosis. The Thompson Indians mixed the tree's resin with fat to treat sores, cuts and burns. Lewis and Clark noted the larch tree in their journals during their 1804-06 expedition of the Western United States."

Medical research acknowledges that eight glyconutrient sugars are needed at the cellular level for optimum immune system function. Considering that six of these glyconutrients are often lacking in modern diets, the Glyconutritional leading company sought new and better sources of the nutrients. The effort culminated in 1996 with the Glyconutritional blend.

Ten years of research, including in vitro studies, animal studies, human case reports and small human clinical studies suggest the Glyconutritional blend provides a wide range of support for immune system functions. More than 20 patents worldwide -- including one from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office -- have been issued for technology related to the Glyconutritional formulation.

The sweet science: Viruses switch grip to gain upper hand

Below is some information I cut and pasted from a recent post at the University of Florida News.

Viruses — "those bits of occasionally harmful genetic material enclosed in shells of protein and fat — crave carbs. Except viruses aren’t seeking a taste treat. They want to latch onto the carbohydrates that protrude from the surface of our cells and mount an invasion.

By changing which carbohydrates they attach to, viruses are able to infect cells more efficiently — a finding that may prove valuable to scientists seeking ways to fight cancer or brain diseases, say University of Florida researchers writing in the current Journal of Biological Chemistry. The discovery also helps explain how flu and other viruses are able to stay a step ahead of our body’s own versatile immune system.

Working with the Consortium for Functional Glycomics, an international team of more than 230 scientists under the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, UF researchers became the first to use a new technique called a glycan array to study how a whole, intact virus interacts with carbohydrates."

Hmmm... Can you say Glyconutrients?

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World nutraceutical demand to balloon

Demand for nutraceutical ingredients is set to take off, with the US remaining the largest single consumer of nutraceutical ingredients and China and Japan emerging as the fastest expanding nutraceutical markets, according to the report entitled “World Nutraceuticals”, issued by Cleveland-based international business research Freedonia Group.

"The industry is characterized in the analysis as being divided among many small members, with only a few market leaders standing out."

"Not only will the Chinese nutraceutical market grow as domestic demand increases, but it will also get more business from the US. "

“…Because of outsourcing trends, the United States will relinquish its longstanding top position in the global production of nutraceutical ingredients to China within the next few years,” says the report.

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New multi-year funding will allow international group to unravel carbohydrate mysteries

A new multi-year funding will allow this international group to unravel carbohydrate mysteries. The Consortium for Functional Glycomics was formed in response to the NIGMS announcement that it would provide glue grants to support multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research projects that would be considered beyond the means of any one group. Currently, more than 30 percent of consortium members are from outside the United States, representing more than 25 countries.

"The long-range goal of the Consortium for Functional Glycomics is to fully understand the mechanisms through which carbohydrate-binding proteins mediate cell function and to share that knowledge with other researchers around the world. We know that carbohydrates aid in the proper trafficking of cells in the body, and that they can modulate signaling from the outside of a cell to the inside, but what we know so far is just the tip of the iceberg. This new grant will help us uncover what lies beneath."

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