When the nutraceutical industry prepares and sells plant extracts as dietary supplements, it is of no special concern to glycobiologists. However, we feel that glycobiologists do have a responsibility to serve the public by speaking out against claims of glyconutrient therapeutic efficacy, often based on legitimate glycobiology discoveries, when there is a lack of credible clinical data to support such claims. This is especially important when those that the Texas Attorney General refers to as “the sick and unsuspecting,” (Attorney General of Texas press release July 5, 2007; http://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagNews/release.php?print=1&id=2086) some of whom may need to choose between difficult therapeutic options, look to independent research scientists for clarity. As scientists, it is also our mandate to impress on the public the importance of rigorous unbiased studies to distinguish biomedical facts from marketing schemes. - http://glycob.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/9/652.full