What is Trehalose?

• Trehalose, also known as mycose, is an alpha-linked (disaccharide) sugar found extensively but not abundantly in nature.
• It can be synthesized by fungi, plants and invertebrate animals.
• It is implicated in anhydrobiosis - the ability of plants and animals to withstand prolonged periods of desiccation.
• The sugar is thought to form a gel phase as cells dehydrate, which prevents disruption of internal cell organelles by effectively splinting them in position.
• Rehydration then allows normal cellular activity to be resumed without the major, generally lethal damage, that would normally follow a dehydration/reyhdration cycle.
• Trehalose has the added advantage of being an antioxidant.
• Studies show that Trehalose strengthens the cell membrane on which glycoprotein receptor sites reside.
• Glycoprotein receptor sites on the cell surface are like trees on the surface of the earth.
• One can consider that the nourishment of Trehalose to the cell membrane is like improving the "top soil" for the glycoprotein receptors
• Trehalose produces lower insulin and blood glucose response than glucose, meaning that the disaccharide bond is not broken in the GI system.