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There are several kinds of known Oligosaccharides structure. They are all saccharide polymers, but they contain a variety of sugars between 2 and 10. The word comes from the Greek oligos meaning a few and the word sacchar for sugar. They are also known as monosaccharides. In nature different kinds of monosaccharides are found in vegetables. These are called fructooligosaccharides (FOS for short). These are used commercially to sweeten food without adding too many calories to that food. The other form GOS or galactooligosaccharides are also consumed by humans. The human body does not digest most of it, but once it passes into the small intestine it kills off bad bacteria and is thought to stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria. It is contained in many prebiotic products often called probiotics, because that word better describes what they do to the man in the street. For animal health MOS or Mannan Oligosaccharides are used to improve the digestive health of animals. They are not, as some people originally thought, suitable for human consumption. There are several other human health benefits to maintaining a healthy balance of oligosaccharides. These include a healthy immune system, in the young this can help to keep them free from allergies in later life. Some studies have even shown that students with healthy levels in their system suffered less cold and flu. It helped their body not to become sick despite the stress they were under. It can also be used to relive constipation and to reduce the risk of respiratory infections and plays a role in the absorption of certain minerals including calcium. The Future For Oligosaccharides Structure Products Understanding of Oligosaccharides structure and their role in human and animal health is growing all the time. There is a lot of interest in them and new uses for them are being discovered all of the time. For example it has recently understood that Hyaluronic Acid Oligosaccharides can help with tissue rejection. It is also felt that a deeper understanding of them could help with the treatment of diseases such as cancer. Iduron have developed and sell a wide range of oligosaccharides structureproducts, including Dermatan sulphate, Heparin and Hyaluronic Acid oligosaccharides.
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glycobiology, glycosaminoglycans, oligosaccharides structure,
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