Triggerband Web Journal

I took a class in college where successful entrepreneurs came and told their stories. One of them was a man named Sam Caster, founder of Mannatech. Mr. Caster’s presence screamed VIP. And he spoke in a way that was friendly yet commanded attention. He told us how his business got started and grew, and displayed a passion that was contagious.

Mr. Caster then described Mannatech’s main product, Ambrotose, in great detail. He told of marketing strategy and patent applications, and what Ambrotose is able to do for people who take it. The benefits of this one supplement were astounding! By the end of the lecture we all felt as though our lives would be incomplete until we had some.

Honored to have such an important businessman take the time to share his story, we little understood that our guest salesmen had just made a sale. My professor soon purchased some Ambrotose (which is not cheap, I should mention). I asked him how he felt after taking it. He said he felt a little better in one specific way; maybe he slept better or had more energy, I can’t remember. And he was still very pleased to have discovered Ambrotose.

How Ambrotose works

Ambrotose supplies the body with all of the eight necessary glyconutrient saccharides. According to Mannatech, the average person’s diet only gives them two of these monosaccharides. And all eight are required for cellular communication and glycoprotein structure. Mannatech claims that these molecules help the immune system communicate, so without them a person could develop autoimmune disorders. But if they take Ambrotose, they might recover. Of course, Mannatech cannot come right out and say that or Ambrotose would legally be considered a drug and subject to FDA regulation.

Mannatech suggests that every person on the face of the earth take a dose of Ambrotose every day for the rest of their life. Before I thank Mannatech for their life-changing discovery and service to humanity, let me ask a few questions. Where did Mannatech find these glyconutrients? The answer: plants. Their argument is that “primitive” humans ate more raw fruits and vegetables, thus receiving a full dose. But “modern” humans eat a lot of refined foods, and are thus depleted in glyconutrients.

Their argument is logical; however, I come to a different conclusion. Eat more raw, organic vegetables. The body digests, absorbs, and utilizes nutrients in natural form more easily than altered supplements found in capsules or powders. We know that Mannatech alters the nutrients in Ambrotose because it has a patent for the substance. You can’t just put some aloe gel in a capsule and apply for a patent. There has to be a chemical alteration.

That brings me to my next question. If Mannatech is so interested in the greater good, why does it have a total of 45 patents all over the world? This is no mere formality. Mannatech has a record of bringing suits against smaller companies it suspects of patent infringement, with mixed outcomes. Sounds like big pharma tactics to me.

Finally, if Mannatech has such great products, why do they resort to multilevel marketing to get their products out? The answer is that the validity of their products is based purely on testimonials, not scientific research. I for one am not going to discount the value of personal testimony. But when I put all the facts together, Mannatech starts looking like another pyramid scheme from Texas (where it is headquartered).

The bottom line

We do need all eight glyconutrients, but we can get them by eating a balanced diet rich in raw, organic vegetables. If you have had a bad diet for a long time and don’t want to change, you could benefit from a glyconutrient supplement. Though, your health is unlikely to improve dramatically. And any brand of glyconutrient saccharides will suffice. It doesn’t have to be Ambrotose.

I do believe that occasionally people who take Ambrotose are cured of debilitating diseases like lupus. However, people who play the lottery occasionally win. That does not make it an effective strategy for accumulating wealth. So let’s stop playing the lottery with our health, start eating a healthier diet, and foil Mannatech’s wealth-generating scam.

Alexander Typaldos, JD