Now Foods D-Mannose is a simple sugar that occurs naturally in some plants, including cranberries. Now Foods D-Mannose can adhere to undesirable foreign substances, preventing them from sticking to the lining of the bladder. In the bladder, Because insubstantial amounts of Now Foods D-Mannose are used by the body, it does not interfere with blood sugar regulation. Although small amounts of D-Mannose are metabolized by the human body, much of it is rapidly excreted in the urine.
- Healthy Urinary Tract
- Washes Away Undesirable Particles
D-Mannose is a simple six-carbon sugar also sold as Seminose or Carubinose. Mannose is a sterioisomer of Glucose and naturally occurs as a monosaccharide in fruits like pineapple and cranberry as well as in the glycoproteins of many plants and fungi.
NOW Foods' pure Mannose is produced by the isomerization of glucose derived from NON-GM corn, white and sweet potatoes. It has a caloric value of 4 calories per gram and is a minimum of 98% pure, the remaining being mostly moisture. The purity and identity have been verified by a third party laboratory using a specific HPLC method to ensure no contamination with other sugars. Microbiological and heavy metal testing are performed to further ensure that this product is completely safe for human consumption. NOW Foods has taken many steps in order to guarantee that its Mannose is the purest product available today.
Studies suggest that Mannose may maintain and support a healthy urinary tract by blocking the adhesion of disease-causing organisms like E. coli to the surface of the host tissue. In most cases, pathogenic bacteria that cause urinary tract infections do so by utilizing tiny hair-like projections on their surface called fimbrium. Protruding from the tips of these fimbrium are glycoproteins called lectins. It is these lectins that bind to certain sugar components like Mannose that are normally present on the surface tissues that line the urinary tract, thereby initiating the bacterial infection process.
When sufficient Mannose is consumed, the excess molecules of this sugar present in the resident urine act as a sacrificial bodyguards that attach themselves to the lectins, thereby blocking the disease-causing E. coli from adhering to the tissues of the bladder and subsequent colonization. The Mannose-saturated E. coli bacteria are subsequently flushed away during urination.
Though Mannose is a simple sugar and is absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract, it is absorbed at a slower rate than most sugars and is not readily converted to glycogen for storage. A substantial amount of Mannose is absorbed into the bloodstream mostly unchanged. After passing through the kidneys, it is excreted into the urine and continues its journey through the ureters, bladder and urethra where it performs a valuable service to support and maintain a healthy urinary tract before exiting the body.