What is D-mannose?

D-Mannose is one of the new ingredients in the integrative approach to urinary infections. This is a type of sugar, related to glucose and fructose. D-Mannose is the biologically active form of mannose, a monomer of sugar, which has a structure very similar to glucose, but is much more difficult to metabolize by the body and does not cause an increase in blood sugar.

Mannose is naturally found in the wood of certain softwoods, in fruits such as cranberries, gooseberries, blueberries, currants, as well as in vegetables such as green beans, broccoli, eggplants, algae, shiitake mushrooms.

D-mannose participates in a multitude of cellular processes, unlike the rest of the basic sugars. Numerous biochemical studies describe the role of D-mannose in communication between cells, in inhibiting the growth of tumor cells and in protection against parasitic, bacterial, viral and fungal infections and has an important role in tissue remodeling. It is also involved in the production process of cytokines, protein substances involved in the response process of the immune system.

D-mannose is absorbed in a proportion of 90% in the small intestine, but the speed of absorption is 8 times lower than that of glucose. This passes directly into the bloodstream, it is not transformed into glycogen and is not stored in the liver. Due to this fact, most of the D-mannose reaches the level of the kidneys, where through the glomerular filtration process, it enters the composition of the urine.

The ingredient is also interesting because it does not cause disturbances in the intestinal flora nor does it lead to the emergence of treatment-resistant strains, which is why it is increasingly used in urinary tract infections.