D-mannose is a sugar molecule similar to glucose. It’s also known simply as mannose and is sometimes called seminose or carubinose. This substance may help prevent bladder infections. However, before you use mannose for this or any other medical purpose, you need to consult a doctor for proper dosage and duration of use. Along with its benefits, d-mannose can cause side effects like loose stools and, in high doses, possible kidney damage.
UTI Relief
Mannose can help alleviate UTIs, or urinary tract and bladder infections, advises Los-Angeles based Dr. Ray Sahelian. According to Dr. Jonathan V. Wright, medical director at the Tahoma Clinic in Renton, Washington, d-mannose is excreted by the kidneys into your urine. The mannose “coats "any Escherichia coli present along the way, making the E. coli unable to "stick" to the inside walls of your bladder and urinary tract. These E. coli are then eliminated with normal urination. E. coli is the bacterium found in some 90 percent of bladder infections.
Healthy Bacteria Friendly
When you use D-mannose to combat a UTI, it removes the E. coli without killing healthy bacteria, says Jacob Teitelbaum in the book, “From Fatigued to Fantastic.” It also results in less yeast overgrowth in the body than antibiotics, Teitelbaum notes.
Possible Genetic Disorder Aid
D-mannose, in theory, may help treat carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome type 1b, which is a rare genetic disorder. However, available scientific evidence does not back this use, according to Rx List. In this syndrome, a genetic defect causes abnormal production and breakdown of mannose in your body. Symptoms of this disorder can include hampered brain function or mental retardation and blood coagulation abnormalities that can lead to blood clotting issues, bleeding or stroke-like episodes, according to Ralf Niehues, lead author for an study published in the "Journal of Clinical Investigation."
Immune System Role
D-mannose is often touted on the Internet as an immune system optimizer. However, this is actually a gimmick by an multimillion-dollar marketing company that claims it is one of eight glyconutrient sugars necessary at the cellular level for proper function of this body system, according to “Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation,” by Andreas Moritz. Supplements with D-mannose are touted as “cures” for diabetes, cancer, lupus and other conditions. The term “glyconutrient” does not even exist in scientific literature, Moritz advises. Also, RxList reports that people who have diabetes should avoid d-mannose.
Mannose-binding lectin (MBL), however, is a protein that plays a role in the body’s innate immunity against yeast infections such as those caused by Candida albicans, according to Eveline C van Asbeck, lead author for a study published in BMC Microbiology. MBL also may play an important role in immune defense, especially in the primary phase of contact with microorganisms. Some groups of people have low serum levels of MBL, such as those with frequent and unexplained infections and those with lupus, according to M.W. Turner’s article, “Mannose-Binding Lectin (MBL) in Health and Disease,” published in the journal "Immunobiology." AIDS progression among those infected with HIV also may be faster when low levels of MBL exist, Turner notes.
References
- Ray Sahelian: D-Mannose
- Tahoma Clinic: D-Mannose for Bladder and Kidney Infections
- “From Fatigued to Fantastic;” Jacob Teitelbaum; 2001
- RXList: D-Mannose
- Biomed Central: ”Mannose binding lectin plays a crucial role in innate immunity against yeast by enhanced complement activation and enhanced uptake of polymorphonuclear cells;” Eveline C van Asbeck et al.; 2008
