Healthy sugar? Yes, D-mannose!

For thousands of years, there has been a family with those members people have had a real love-hate relationship. We love the members because they are sweet as honey, but they are ruthless: sometimes, to retaliate for our greed, they will hurt us. But there’s something in their family that has decided to help instead of destroy! He defies his family and for that he has become justly famous. That family is the family of sugars and that beneficial sugar is D-mannose!

Did you ever think a sugar could be healthy? In 1972, Dr. John Yudkin published the first book on the harmful effects of sugar¹; it was called Pure, White and Deadly. And now, most sweet tooths have a relationship with sugar that humans have with most forbidden fruits; they know they souldn’t eat it and yet they are attracted to it. But D-mannose has decided it wants to stand out – because of its health benefits, it’s starting to get more attention in recent years.

Let’s take a look at what makes D-mannose so special! What are the benefits of D-mannose? How can D-mannose affect urinary tract infections and what are the side effects of D-mannose and how should it be taken? Stay tuned as we explore all this together!

WHAT IS D-MANNOSE?

Glucose is our basic sugar, which means that all the carbohydrates we eat are broken down into glucose in our bodies. This is why you cannot generalise that sugars are unhealthy! No, glucose is needed by our bodies to function properly. This is why the ketogenic diet is good for the long term (it is super healthy in the short term, but should not be kept for long periods⁴⁷ unless a doctor tells you).

It is the source of glucose that is the key determinant of health!^2,3 If we consume simple sugars – from which the body no longer needs to extract glucose, or only to a small extent – it will quickly raise blood sugar levels and trigger a number of hormonal pathways that will not be good for our bodies. Conversely, if the body eventually extracts glucose from a complex carbohydrate source it will take more time and raise blood sugar less and the hormonal response will be more balanced.

A quick note: complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) are made up for many sugar molecules linked in a series, and simple carbohydrates (monosaccharides) are sugars themselves, i.e. they are single sugar molecules.

Oligosaccharides: slightly complex carbohydrates consisting of 3-10 sugar molecules. We also have disaccharides, which consist of two sugar molecules. Oligo-, di- and monosaccharides all raise blood sugar levels rapidly.

P.s.: we’re not saying don’t eat sugar at all, but it can be an addictive substance. Eating sugary foods can be okay even on a diet, the key is moderation. Remember Paracelsus’ saying that „dose makes the poison”.

There is only one carbon atom seperating D-mannose from glucose⁴. It’s an interesting world, isn’t it? One carbon atom difference and the effect can change drastically!

D-mannose is not made into glucose by the body, which means it is not broken down further⁴. This is why, as we will see later, its beneficial effects are produced in low doses.

D-MANNOSE BENEFITS

Grams of D-mannose are sufficient to produce a wide range of effects. And the number of studies demonstrating the benefits of D-mannose is growing^5-16.

Nézzük meg röviden, hogy leginkább mire is hathat a D-mannóz! ^5-16 Let’s take a quick look at what D-mannose can do most of the time!^5-16

Antibacterial effect: D-mannose can prevent bacteria from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract. In particular, it helps prevent the development of infection.

Maintaining gut flora health: there is growing evidence that gut bacteria can use D-mannose as a nutrient – i.e. D-mannose may also have prebiotic (’good bacteria stimulating, nutritious’) properties. In this way, D-mannose can help maintain a healthy balance of gut flora.

Anti-inflammation: the health of the gut flora can be anti-inflammatory in itself, but D-mannose also affects the function of inflammatory T-cells (stimulating regulatory T-cells and reducing effector T-cells and macrophages).

Immune support: reducing inflammation and restoring gut flora alone will result in a better functioning immune system. However, D-mannose also has a direct effect on the immune response, enhanching the body’s defences against pathogens.

Weight management: The prebiotic role of D-mannose may also help in weight management. The health of the intestinal flora affects the digestive system, and the digestive system affects our metabolism.

D-MANNOSE AND URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS

Urinary tract infections can be hell for susceptible individuals. They hurt, sting, stink and even affect your sex life. So it’s worth doing everything you can to prevent it! Interestingly, these problems can affect man too, but women are 30 times more likely to catch them¹⁷. It actually affects 10% of women each year and half of women experience it at least once^18,19.

D-mannose intake can provide relief for both men and women by preventing bacterial adhesion^19,21,23,24. It does this by sitting at the side of the key receptor (sensing molecule) responsible for adhesion and inhibiting its function^25,26.

Furthermore, D-mannose may be a good alternative because conventional antibiotic treatment can sometimes fail. Antibiotic resistance is an ancient process because most of the antibacterial substances used in antibiotics are naturally occurring compounds. Therefore bacteria may be adapted to these substances on the basis of the „survival of the fittest” principle. Furthermore, the overuse of antibiotics has led to an increasing number of bacterial strains acquiring resistance²⁸. In addition, the incidence of reinfection is higher once you have has a urinary tract infection.

This is why research has been launched into alternative therapies that can complement antibiotic treatment. In addition, research into preventive practices has also started because of over-infections. Of course, all this information does not mean that we should avoid using antibiotics in the face of medical advice. No, if a doctor says so, antibiotics are necessary! It’s just worth looking at alternatives such as D-mannose, as more and more doctors are recognising its effectiveness. And clinical studies are super conclusive, with some results showing the same effects of D-mannose as antibiotics against urinary tract infections. Take a look at the research results on D-mannose!

Preventing over-infections: a major study showed that D-mannose significantly reduced the rate of over-infections²⁸!

Comparisons with antibiotics: D-mannose has been compared with antibiotics such as nitrofurantoin and has shown similar efficacy in preventing urinary tract infections. In addition, D-mannose has fewer side effects than antibiotics^29,30!

Studies on its mechanism of action: two studies have shown that D-mannose prevents E. coli, the primary cause of urinary tract infections, from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract, thereby helping to flush the bacteria out with urine^31,32. Furthermore, numerous clinical trials support the effectiveness of D-mannose in the prevention and treatment of UTIs^33-36. And the results were matched with patient satisfaction, as measured by patient satisfaction surveys^37,38.

D-mannose can therefore be an antibiotic adjunct therapy with few side effects (and possibly an alternative, if the doctor thinks so).

D-MANNOSE AND THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

D-mannose can reduce body-wide inflammation and although inflammation itself is important for tissue regeneration. Yet chronic low-level inflammation is one of the main drivers of digestive damage⁴⁸. Imagine a military camp. D-mannose stimulates the work of the coordinating officers (the regulatory T-cells). In addition, the aggressiveness of the soliders involved in the action (effector T-cells and macrophages) is reduced by D-mannose. The latter means that the T-cells and macrophages (i.e. the soliders) will know their job better and will not act alone. So, with D-mannose, inflammatory cells can work more efficiently and precisely – there will be less aggressive runaway soliders to damage our cells. Inflammation is needed for tissue healing, but the degree of inflammation is not all the same. This can be balanced by D-mannose (and many other anti-inflammatory agents).

The prebiotic and anti-inflammatory properties of D-mannose will combine to produce a healthier digestive system. Okay, but how does the science back this up?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most commonly diagnosed digestive diseases. If you have abnormal bowel function and abdominal pain to the exclusion of all other complaints, you are likely to have IBS³⁸. There are two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These two conditions are associated with heightened immune responses to otherwise natural factors; such as gut flora and different foods³⁹. IBS and IBD can also cause a lot of pain and complaints.

Studies have shown that D-mannose can reduce the symptoms of IBS^40,41. It may also play a role in the management of IBD^42,43. In addition, there is evidence that D-mannose may also have beneficial effects on mood and cognitive function by influencing the gut-brain axis^44,45.

Extra info: the existence of the gut-brain axis was only a theory when the author of this article was defending his thesis, but it is now a proven fact⁴⁷.

D-MANNOSE SIDE EFFECTS

An analysis of the results of research⁴⁶ suggests that its effect against urinary tract infections may be comparable to that of antibiotics, but with minimal side effects. In the studies, D-mannose was found to be safe. Some people have experienced diarrhoea from its use. In addition, there are no documented side effects. To be fair, we cannot state concrete facts about the effects of D-mannose because of the small number of controlled studies.

D-MANNOSE DOSAGE

The most effective dose is not known. Currently, we can refer to the doses used in studies⁴¹.

For the prevention of urinary tract infections: 2x1 gram of D-mannose in capsule or powder form daily.

For the treatment of urinary tract infections: 2x1.5 grams of D-mannose in capsules or powder daily.

Usually one capsule contains 500 mg of D-mannose. Thus, for a dose of 1 gram, 2 capsules are needed. For the 1.5 gram dose, 3 capsules will be sufficient. 

The last question: which D-mannose should I choose?

For super value for money, choose: Now Foods D-mannose Powder

And for easy dosing, choose: Now Foods D-mannose 500 mg capsules