Measure. Restore. Verify. How to repair your glycocalyx — test it, restore it, and prove the result

Can the glycocalyx be repaired? Yes — and, unlike almost everything else in vascular health, you can watch it happen. Most people never find out how healthy their smallest blood vessels are until something goes wrong. It doesn’t have to be that way. This is the method the GlycoCalyx Research Institute and GlycoCheck U.S. were built around: measure your microvascular health with a five-minute, non-invasive test, restore the glycocalyx with targeted nutrition and lifestyle, then verify the change with a repeat test.

Measure. Restore. Verify. — a capillary network seen through a measurement scope, the GlycoCalyx framework for microvascular health
The framework in one picture: a capillary network as seen through a GlycoCheck® scope. Measure the vessels, restore the glycocalyx that lines them, verify the change.

The short version

  • The endothelial glycocalyx is the thin, gel-like sugar coating that lines every blood vessel. When it thins, capillaries leak, clot and drop out of circulation — and organs quietly lose supply. It is one of the earliest measurable changes in vascular disease.[1,4]
  • Measure: a GlycoCheck® test films the capillaries under your tongue for a few minutes and reports a MicroVascular Health Score (MVHS) plus the perfused boundary region (PBR), a validated marker of glycocalyx thickness. Higher PBR predicted a 6-fold higher risk of heart attack, stroke or death in a 6-year study of 600 people with no known heart disease.[5]
  • Restore: yes, the glycocalyx can be repaired — it regrows within days once the insult stops, and it thickens measurably over 3–4 months in randomised trials of glycocalyx nutrition.[26,29,30] Remove what damages the layer (high blood sugar, smoking, inactivity, oxidative stress) and supply what rebuilds it. ReVasca® combines glycocalyx building blocks (hyaluronic acid, fucoidan), nitric-oxide support (L-citrulline, ViNitrox®) and antioxidant enzymes (SOD, catalase) in one daily serving.
  • Verify: retest after about 12 weeks. If PBR falls and MVHS rises, keep going; if not, change the plan. Measurement is what turns “taking a supplement” into a result you can see.
  • Human trials of glycocalyx-targeted nutrition are still few, and not all are positive — which is exactly why the framework ends with verify, not hope.

First principles

Why the glycocalyx decides your microvascular health

In one sentence: the endothelial glycocalyx is a microscopically thin gel of sugars and proteins that coats the inside of every artery, vein and capillary; it keeps blood flowing smoothly, keeps vessel walls sealed, senses flow to release nitric oxide, and stores the body’s own antioxidant enzymes — so when it degrades, the entire microcirculation degrades with it.[1]

If you want the full primer, read our companion article, What is the glycocalyx? Here is what matters for the framework.

Roughly 99% of your blood vessels by count are capillaries and other microvessels — the vessels where oxygen, nutrients and hormones actually leave the blood and reach your cells, and where waste is carried away. Laid end to end they would circle the earth more than twice. Every one of them is lined with the glycocalyx: a brush-like layer of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans (heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronan) anchored to the endothelial cells beneath.[1] It was Dr Hans Vink’s intravital microscopy in the 1990s that first showed the layer as a real, functional exclusion zone that red blood cells cannot enter in a healthy vessel.[2]

That last detail is the key to everything that follows. Because a healthy glycocalyx holds red blood cells away from the vessel wall, how deeply red cells penetrate toward the wall is a direct, visible readout of how thick the layer is. That is what a GlycoCheck test measures.

What a healthy glycocalyx does

  • Regulates blood flow on demand. The layer bends under the shear of flowing blood and signals the endothelium to release nitric oxide, so vessels dilate when muscles or the brain need more supply.
  • Keeps vessels sealed. It is the first barrier against fluid and protein leaking out of the capillary into tissue.
  • Prevents sticking. A thick layer keeps platelets and white cells from adhering to the wall — the first step in clotting and inflammation.
  • Holds the antioxidant defence in place. Extracellular superoxide dismutase and anticoagulant proteins such as antithrombin bind to its heparan sulfate chains.
  • Recruits capillaries. With more of the capillary bed perfused, more of your tissue is fed.

What damages it

The glycocalyx is fragile by design — it is constantly shed and rebuilt. Anything that tips the balance toward shedding thins it. In healthy volunteers, six hours of experimentally raised blood glucose cut the body’s glycocalyx volume roughly in half, with a matching drop in endothelial function.[3] Oxidative stress and inflammation strip the layer; smoking (including e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn products) measurably damages it;[23] sepsis and critical illness shed it wholesale;[10,12] and simply getting older thins it — the sublingual glycocalyx of adults around 60 was a third thinner than that of adults around 30 in one study.[6]

Illustration comparing a healthy endothelial glycocalyx that keeps red cells, platelets and monocytes away from the vessel wall with a compromised glycocalyx where platelets and monocytes adhere and the wall leaks
Healthy versus compromised glycocalyx. On the left, a thick layer keeps blood cells off the wall and the wall sealed; on the right, a thinned layer lets platelets and white cells adhere and plasma leak — the beginning of inflammation, clotting and capillary loss.

The consequence is a slow spiral: a thinner layer means less nitric oxide, more leak, more adhesion, and eventually capillaries that stop carrying blood at all (“rarefaction”). Reduced capillary density has now been documented with sublingual imaging in chronic heart failure,[19] vascular cognitive impairment,[18] long COVID[17] and with ageing and type 2 diabetes.[22] Organs starve a little at a time, long before a scan or a blood test flags anything.

The method

The Measure • Restore • Verify framework

What it is: a closed loop for microvascular health. Measure the state of your capillaries and glycocalyx objectively, restore the layer with targeted nutrition and lifestyle change, then verify the effect with a repeat measurement — and adjust. It treats microvascular health the way clinicians already treat blood pressure and cholesterol: as a number you can track, not a feeling you hope improves.

The two companies in the Genesis Health Sciences family were built to complete each other’s work. GlycoCheck U.S. brings the GlycoCheck® measurement system — invented by Dr Vink at Maastricht University and now used at more than 300 medical and research institutions worldwide — to clinics across the United States. The GlycoCalyx Research Institute develops the science and the restorative nutraceuticals, ReVasca® and ReCelyx™ (formerly ReNeu). ReVasca was formulated by Robert Long and validated with GlycoCheck by Dr Vink; the device is how the Institute knows whether a formula is doing anything at all.

M

Measure

A GlycoCheck® assessment: non-invasive, under the tongue, results in minutes. Establishes your PBR and MicroVascular Health Score.

R

Restore

Remove what sheds the layer; supply what rebuilds it. ReVasca® daily, plus glucose control, movement, sleep and no smoking.

V

Verify

Repeat the assessment at ~12 weeks. Compare PBR and MVHS. Keep what works, change what doesn’t, and repeat.

Why insist on the loop? Because the honest answer to “does a glycocalyx supplement work?” is it depends on the person. Trials of glycocalyx-targeted nutrition have shown clear improvement in some groups and none in others (we go through them below). A framework that ends with a measurement protects you from both mistakes: quitting something that is working, and paying indefinitely for something that isn’t.

“A weakened glycocalyx and compromised microvascular function begin a downward spiral that is linked to almost all medical conditions and diseases. Restoring this layer and its function is essential for overall health — and now, for the first time, it can be measured.”
— The GlycoCalyx Research Institute
1Measure

How do you measure the glycocalyx and your microvascular health?

Answer: with a GlycoCheck® test. A trained provider rests a small video microscope under your tongue for a few minutes; software automatically analyses thousands of capillary segments and reports your perfused boundary region (PBR — how far red cells penetrate the glycocalyx; lower is better), capillary density, red-cell velocity and filling, and a combined MicroVascular Health Score (MVHS). It is non-invasive, takes under five minutes, and is repeatable enough to track change over time.[13,12]

Why under the tongue?

The sublingual capillaries sit just beneath a thin, transparent mucosa, so a hand-held camera can film red blood cells moving through them without needles, dyes or radiation. Sublingual video microscopy (sidestream dark-field imaging) has been used in intensive-care research for two decades; GlycoCheck’s contribution was to automate the analysis so that a measurement no longer depends on an expert scoring video by eye, and to add the glycocalyx dimension — the PBR — to the standard perfusion metrics.[37,36]

A GlycoCheck assessment being performed: a hand-held video microscope placed under the tongue
The GlycoCheck software report on a laptop showing microvascular parameters and a colour-coded MicroVascular Health Score scale
Left: the assessment. Right: the report — each parameter is scored against reference ranges and rolled up into the MicroVascular Health Score.

What the numbers mean

Measure What it tells you Better is
PBR (perfused boundary region), µm How deep red blood cells penetrate into the glycocalyx of vessels 4–25 µm wide. Deeper penetration = thinner, more damaged layer. In a population study the mean was about 2.1 µm, ranging from ~1.4 (thick, healthy) to ~2.9 (thin, at risk).[4] Lower
Capillary density / blood volume How much of the capillary bed is actually carrying blood. Falls with ageing, diabetes, heart failure and after severe illness.[22,19,17] Higher
Red-cell velocity & filling How well red cells fill and move through the vessels — the delivery side of the equation. Filling tracks closely with PBR: thicker glycocalyx, better perfusion.[4] Higher
MicroVascular Health Score (MVHS) GlycoCheck’s composite of capillary blood volume, red-cell velocity and PBR — one number to track over time. Higher

Is it validated? What does PBR actually predict?

This is the question every clinician should ask of any new measurement, so here is the evidence in brief. GlycoCheck-based PBR has been studied in well over a hundred hospitals and universities; our research library collects the papers. The findings that matter most:

6.4×higher risk of major cardiovascular events over 6 years with high PBR, in 600 people without known heart disease[5]
915middle-aged adults imaged in the NEO cohort: the thicker the glycocalyx, the better the capillary perfusion[4]
33%thinner sublingual glycocalyx in adults around 60 versus adults around 30[6]
300+medical and research institutions using GlycoCheck® worldwide
  • It predicts events. In 600 people with no overt cardiovascular disease, higher PBR predicted heart attack, stroke or death over six years, independently of and additively to the classic risk factors and the European Heart SCORE (hazard ratio 6.44; reclassification improvement 28%).[5]
  • It tracks perfusion. Across 915 adults, red-cell filling of the capillary bed fell steadily as PBR rose — the mechanistic link between a thin layer and starved tissue.[4]
  • It tracks disease. PBR is higher with ischaemic heart disease and microvascular lesions,[8] declining kidney function,[7] early-onset preeclampsia,[9] and sepsis, where an early low glycocalyx thickness predicted mortality.[10] In chronic heart failure, a PBR above about 1.9 µm predicted two-year mortality,[15] and a 2025 meta-analysis found that peripheral microvascular and endothelial dysfunction — sublingual imaging included — predicts later cognitive decline and cerebral small-vessel disease.[16]
  • It predicts deterioration early. In 299 emergency-department patients with suspected infection, the MicroVascular Health Score at the door predicted who would progress to sepsis within a week (AUC 0.79).[11]
  • It is reproducible. Nurse-performed measurements at the bedside showed good intra-observer and excellent inter-class reproducibility;[12] a dedicated reproducibility study defined the examination conditions that keep results stable;[13] and averaging two or three recordings tightens the estimate further.[9]

Two honest caveats. First, PBR is a marker of glycocalyx accessibility to red cells rather than a ruler laid on the layer, so results are best compared with your own previous results under the same conditions. Second, no single number replaces a clinical assessment; the value of the test is that it makes something visible that no other routine test does, and lets you track it.

How does GlycoCheck compare with other endothelial tests?

Clinicians already have ways to test the endothelium; the European Society of Cardiology reviews them in a position statement.[36] Each looks at a different level of the vascular tree, which is why they complement rather than replace one another:

Test What it looks at Notes
Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) How much the brachial artery widens after a cuff release — large-artery endothelial function Ultrasound, operator-dependent, research standard
Peripheral arterial tonometry (EndoPAT) Fingertip pulse response to the same cuff test — small-artery function Automated, no imaging of vessels
Carotid intima-media thickness / coronary calcium Structural change in large arteries Shows damage already done
GlycoCheck® The capillaries themselves: glycocalyx thickness (PBR), capillary density, red-cell filling and velocity, MVHS Non-invasive video microscopy, automated, under five minutes; the only routine test that images the glycocalyx

Is there a blood test for the glycocalyx?

Not a routine one. You may see “glycocalyx blood tests” offered — plasma syndecan-1, heparan sulfate or hyaluronan. These are shed fragments of the layer. They are useful in acute research settings, but their normal turnover makes them a poor index of your day-to-day glycocalyx state, and they cannot show whether capillaries are perfused.[37] Direct imaging shows the layer working (or not) in living vessels, in real time.

How to get tested — and how to prepare

GlycoCheck testing is offered by independent physicians, integrative and functional-medicine practices, chiropractic and naturopathic clinics, and research groups; there are more than 80 US locations and the network is growing. Use the GlycoCheck locator to find one near you. Each clinic sets its own cash-pay price — publicly listed examples run in the low hundreds of dollars — and the assessment is not usually covered by insurance; the visit itself is short. To make your baseline (and every retest) comparable, follow the standard preparation:

  • Do not eat for at least 4 hours before the test (some clinics ask for 6) — a sugary meal alone can drop a score for hours[3]
  • No exercise for 12 hours, no alcohol for 24 hours, and no caffeine on the day
  • Drink at least a quart of water about an hour beforehand
  • Rest 15–20 minutes before the measurement to settle stress
  • Book retests at the same time of day, and note any changes to medication

Find a GlycoCheck® clinic

Baseline first. Locate a provider near you and book a five-minute assessment.

Find a test location

Clinicians: bring GlycoCheck to your practice

An objective, non-invasive vital sign for microvascular health — results on a PDF report in minutes.

The GlycoCheck® system
2Restore

How do you restore a damaged glycocalyx?

Answer: yes, it can be repaired — and from both directions at once. Reduce what sheds the layer — high or swinging blood glucose, smoking and vaping, inactivity, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress — and supply what the endothelium needs to rebuild it: glycosaminoglycan building blocks such as hyaluronan and sulfated polysaccharides, nitric-oxide support, and antioxidant protection. Give it 8–12 weeks, then measure.

First, stop the shedding

The glycocalyx regenerates continuously, so the fastest win is usually to remove the insult. In practical terms:

  • Blood glucose. Acute hyperglycaemia strips the layer within hours,[3] and diabetes is consistently associated with a thinner layer and fewer perfused capillaries.[22,27] Work with your clinician on glycaemic control; it is glycocalyx therapy in its own right.
  • Smoking and vaping. Conventional, electronic and heat-not-burn cigarettes all measurably damage the endothelial glycocalyx.[23]
  • Movement. Regular aerobic training improves microvascular function; four weeks of high-intensity interval training increased sublingual glycocalyx thickness in healthy volunteers.[20] A single run does not change PBR acutely[21] — the benefit comes from training, not from one session.
  • Sleep, stress and inflammation. Anything that raises systemic inflammation raises shedding; the layer is one of the first casualties of sepsis and critical illness.[10] Treat the source.
  • Age. You cannot change it — but you can change how the ageing endothelium is fed and protected, which is where nutrition comes in.[6,33]

Second, supply the building blocks

The idea of feeding the glycocalyx is not new. In 2010, two months of oral sulodexide — a mixture of glycosaminoglycans — increased glycocalyx dimension in the sublingual and retinal vessels of men with type 2 diabetes and reduced the leak of albumin from their capillaries.[27] Since then a family of nutritional formulas has combined glycocalyx precursors (hyaluronan, glucosamine, fucoidan — a sulfated seaweed polysaccharide structurally similar to heparan sulfate) with antioxidant enzymes. In laboratory and animal work these mixtures restore glycocalyx length and improve endothelial function in diabetic and aged vessels,[31,33] and a fucoidan-containing formula protected the layer against damage from the serum of kidney-disease patients.[34]

The human evidence is younger, and we would rather you hear all of it from us. Three randomised, placebo-controlled trials of a glycocalyx dietary supplement built on glycosaminoglycans and fucoidan — the same ingredient class ReVasca is built on — have now reported. In 50 people with psoriasis, four months of supplementation reduced PBR by about 10% versus roughly 1% on placebo, with parallel improvements in arterial stiffness.[29] In 57 people recovering from COVID-19, four months reduced PBR by 6.8% versus 1.3%, improved coronary flow reserve and oxidative-stress markers, and none of the supplemented group reported post-COVID symptoms at follow-up against one in five on placebo.[30] And in a three-arm trial in South-Asian people with type 2 diabetes, three months of a glycocalyx-mimetic supplement improved both PBR and MVHS — an improvement that persisted three months after stopping — while a fasting-mimicking diet in the same trial did not protect the microcirculation.[28] Against those, two small pilot studies of an earlier formulation — 22 veterans with type 2 diabetes over eight weeks, and 23 older adults over twelve — found no overall change in glycocalyx thickness versus placebo, with signals in sub-groups that the authors said warranted further study.[31,32] Read together, the evidence says: the mechanism is real, individual response varies, and duration and formulation matter. That is a case for measuring, not for guessing.

What this means for you

Treat any glycocalyx supplement — including ours — as an intervention to be tested against your own baseline. Take it consistently for a full 12 weeks, keep the rest of your routine stable, and let the retest decide.

Which foods and habits support the glycocalyx?

Nutrition research on the glycocalyx is young, but the direction of travel is consistent with everything else we know about the endothelium. A 2023 review of nutrition and lifestyle for glycocalyx preservation concluded that vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, Mediterranean-style dietary patterns and attention to when you eat (time-restricted eating) show promise for preserving the layer, while sustained sugar loading and excess sodium work against it.[25] Add what we already covered — glycaemic control, regular training, not smoking — and treat sleep-disordered breathing seriously: obstructive sleep apnoea has now been linked to glycocalyx damage through repeated overnight oxygen dips.[24] If you have type 2 diabetes, it is worth knowing that a year of treatment with a GLP-1 agonist combined with an SGLT2 inhibitor lowered PBR in a recent trial — glucose control and glycocalyx health move together.[35]

ReVasca®: what is in it, and why

ReVasca is the latest refinement of the glycocalyx nutraceuticals Robert Long has formulated over fifteen years, succeeding the team’s earlier Arterosil and Endocalyx Pro formulations, and validated with GlycoCheck by Dr Vink at the Institute. It is designed to support the entire circulatory system — the large arteries where nitric oxide matters most, and the microvessels and glycocalyx that most circulation supplements ignore. Each daily serving (four capsules, or one scoop of the grape drink mix) delivers a 2,860 mg proprietary blend:

Hyaluronic acidGlycocalyx building block

One of the principal glycosaminoglycans of the glycocalyx itself, lost as the layer degrades. Supplied so the endothelium has raw material to rebuild with.

FucoidanFrom Laminaria japonica seaweed

A sulfated polysaccharide structurally related to heparan sulfate, with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties; fucoidan-containing formulas preserved the glycocalyx in laboratory models of kidney-disease damage.[34]

Vascaman™Organic inner-leaf aloe vera (acemannan)

An aloe polysaccharide with immune-supportive properties that helps the body maintain nitric-oxide levels and supports a healthy gut microbiome.

L-CitrullineNitric-oxide precursor

Converted to arginine, the substrate for endothelial nitric-oxide synthase — supporting the flow-regulating side of the system.

ViNitrox®Apple & grape polyphenols (Vitis vinifera)

A polyphenol blend that supports nitric-oxide levels and provides antioxidant capacity.

Superoxide dismutase & catalaseAntioxidant enzymes

The enzymes that neutralise superoxide and hydrogen peroxide — the oxidative stress that shears the glycocalyx. Extracellular SOD normally lives in the layer, bound to its heparan sulfate.

Other ingredients: hypromellose (capsule), gellan gum, magnesium stearate. Contains soybeans. Take four capsules daily with water, or mix one scoop of drink powder into 8–12 oz of water once a day. Most people take it in the morning; consistency matters far more than timing.

Recommended · Subscribe & save 10% ReVasca capsules bottle and ReVasca grape drink mix jar

Restore · step 2

ReVasca® Endothelial Glycocalyx Support

4.5 / 5 · 55 verified reviews

The Institute’s flagship formula. One month per bottle: 120 capsules (4 a day) or 30 servings of grape-flavoured drink mix.

  • Glycocalyx building blocks: hyaluronic acid, fucoidan, aloe polysaccharides
  • Nitric-oxide support: L-citrulline and ViNitrox® polyphenols
  • Antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase and catalase
Added to your cart — view cart & check out →

How long does it take to repair the glycocalyx?

Faster than most people expect at the cellular level, slower at the whole-body level. In animals, the layer regrows within about a week after acute enzymatic damage once the insult is removed.[26] But rebuilding a thicker, better-functioning layer across the whole microcirculation — and re-recruiting capillaries that had dropped out — is a matter of weeks to months: the human trials of glycocalyx-targeted nutrition ran 8 to 16 weeks, with the clearest changes at three to four months.[29,30,28] Twelve weeks is the window we recommend before you judge your own response. Some people report subjective changes earlier (warmer hands and feet, steadier energy, better exercise tolerance are the ones we hear most), but the framework does not ask you to rely on how you feel. It asks you to retest.

Two GlycoCheck capillary images side by side: before ReVasca with a low MicroVascular Health Score of 2.36 and after 12 weeks with a high score of 18.71
One person’s sublingual capillary bed before, and after twelve weeks of ReVasca®: many more perfused capillaries, MVHS rising from 2.36 to 18.71. An individual result, not a guarantee — which is the whole point of measuring your own.
3Verify

How do you verify that it worked?

Answer: repeat the GlycoCheck test after about 12 weeks, under the same conditions as your baseline, and compare. A lower PBR (thicker glycocalyx), higher capillary density and a higher MVHS mean the layer is recovering; keep the plan and retest at 6–12 months. No change means change something — dose, duration, the lifestyle levers, or the underlying medical driver — and measure again.

Why 12 weeks

Twelve weeks is long enough for the endothelium to rebuild and for capillary recruitment to show, and it sits inside the 8–16-week window used in the human studies of glycocalyx nutrition.[32,28,29] Testing much sooner risks measuring noise — healthy volunteers show real day-to-day variability in microcirculatory measurements[14] — while waiting much longer means months without feedback.

How to make the comparison fair

  • Same preparation. Fasting window, hydration, no caffeine, no exercise the night before, a rest period beforehand — the reproducibility work shows examination conditions matter.[13]
  • Same time of day, same operator where possible. The GlycoCheck software removes observer scoring, but consistent conditions still tighten the comparison.
  • Average repeats. Where the clinic takes two or three recordings, the mean is more reliable than any single one — reproducibility improves markedly when three consecutive measurements are averaged.[13,9]
  • Look at the pattern, not one decimal. PBR, capillary density, red-cell filling and MVHS should move together. A consistent shift across the report is more convincing than a change in one number.
  • Log what changed. New medication, an illness, a change in exercise or diet — write it down, because it may explain the result.

Reading the result

Retest shows What it likely means Next step
PBR down, MVHS up The glycocalyx is thicker and more of the capillary bed is perfused. The plan is working. Continue. Retest at 6–12 months, or sooner if circumstances change.
Little change Either the response is slower, adherence slipped, or something is still shedding the layer faster than it rebuilds. Check consistency, review glucose, sleep, smoking and inflammation with your clinician; consider a longer interval before the next test.
Worse An intercurrent illness, a new stressor, or a progressing condition. Not a reason to ignore — a reason to look. Discuss with your clinician; the value of the score is precisely that it flags this early.
For clinicians

The retest is also documentation. A before-and-after GlycoCheck report gives you and your patient an objective record of response to a lifestyle or nutritional intervention — something no symptom diary can provide, and a powerful driver of adherence.

Putting it together

A 12-week Measure • Restore • Verify plan

Here is the whole framework as a calendar. It assumes you have discussed it with your own clinician, especially if you take medication or have a diagnosed condition.

  1. Week 0 — Measure your baseline

    Book a GlycoCheck® assessment via the locator. Prepare as above. Keep the PDF report; note your PBR, capillary density and MVHS.

  2. Week 0 — Start ReVasca® and set the lifestyle levers

    Four capsules or one scoop daily. Agree the two or three lifestyle changes you will actually keep for 12 weeks: glucose, movement, sleep, smoking.

  3. Weeks 1–4 — Build the habit

    Take it at the same time each day. Subscription delivery removes the most common failure mode: running out. Note any early subjective changes, but do not judge yet.

  4. Weeks 5–12 — Hold the course

    Consistency is the intervention. Keep the rest of your routine stable so the retest measures the plan, not a new variable.

  5. Week 12 — Verify

    Retest under the same conditions. Compare PBR, capillary density and MVHS with baseline. Decide: continue, adjust, or investigate.

  6. Ongoing — Maintain and re-measure

    Microvascular health is a moving target: it responds to illness, stress, seasons of life. Retest every 6–12 months and after any major health change.

Suitability

Who this is for — and who should check first

The framework is for anyone who wants an objective view of their vascular health rather than a guess — and it is especially relevant if you have risk factors that are known to thin the glycocalyx: type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, a history of smoking, a strong family history of early heart disease, long COVID, or simply being past midlife.[22,7,17,6] It is equally useful for the fit and healthy who want a baseline while things are good.

Some people should talk to their clinician before starting any supplement, including ReVasca: if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, taking anticoagulants or blood-pressure medication (several ReVasca ingredients support nitric-oxide production and normal blood pressure, and reviewers do report changes), scheduled for surgery, or living with a diagnosed condition. ReVasca contains soy. None of this replaces medical care — the measurement is meant to be shared with the people who look after you.

Questions we get asked

Frequently asked questions

Can the glycocalyx be repaired?

Yes. The endothelial glycocalyx is constantly shed and rebuilt, so removing what damages it (high blood glucose, smoking, inactivity, inflammation) lets it recover, and supplying its building blocks helps it thicken. In animals the layer regrows within about a week after acute damage; in randomised human trials of glycocalyx dietary supplements, glycocalyx thickness (measured as a lower perfused boundary region) improved over three to four months. A GlycoCheck test lets you confirm the repair in your own vessels.

What is the Measure • Restore • Verify framework?

It is the GlycoCalyx Research Institute and GlycoCheck U.S. method for microvascular health: measure your glycocalyx and capillary health objectively with a GlycoCheck test, restore the glycocalyx with targeted nutrition (ReVasca) and lifestyle changes, then verify the change with a repeat test after about 12 weeks and adjust.

How is the glycocalyx measured? Is there a blood test?

The clinical test is sublingual video microscopy, not a blood test. A GlycoCheck device rests a small camera under the tongue and films the capillaries for a few minutes; software measures the perfused boundary region (PBR — how deep red blood cells penetrate the glycocalyx), capillary density, red-cell velocity and filling, and computes a MicroVascular Health Score. It is non-invasive and takes under five minutes. Blood markers such as syndecan-1 are shed fragments used in research; they are not a routine clinical test and cannot show whether capillaries are perfused.

What is a good PBR or MVHS score?

Lower PBR is better (a thicker glycocalyx); in a large population study PBR averaged about 2.1 micrometres and ranged from roughly 1.4 to 2.9. Higher MVHS is better. Because conditions and individuals vary, the most useful comparison is your own retest against your own baseline, taken under the same conditions.

Where can I get a GlycoCheck test and what does it cost?

GlycoCheck testing is offered by independent clinics — integrative, functional, chiropractic and naturopathic practices and physicians — at more than 80 US locations, and by research groups worldwide. Use the GlycoCheck locator on glycocalyx.com to find one near you. Each clinic sets its own cash-pay price — publicly listed examples run in the low hundreds of dollars — and the test is not usually covered by insurance. The assessment itself is a short in-office appointment.

How long does it take to restore the glycocalyx?

The layer turns over in days, but rebuilding a thicker, better-functioning layer and re-recruiting capillaries takes weeks to months. Human studies of glycocalyx-targeted nutrition ran 8 to 12 weeks, so we recommend a full 12 weeks of consistent use before retesting.

What damages the glycocalyx?

High or swinging blood glucose, oxidative stress, inflammation, smoking and vaping, sepsis and critical illness, inactivity and ageing. Acute hyperglycaemia can strip a large part of the layer within hours.

What is ReVasca and how does it relate to GlycoCheck?

ReVasca is the GlycoCalyx Research Institute's flagship glycocalyx-support nutraceutical, formulated by Robert Long and validated with the GlycoCheck device by Dr Hans Vink, the device's inventor. GlycoCheck measures the glycocalyx; ReVasca is designed to help restore it; a repeat GlycoCheck test verifies the response. Both companies belong to Genesis Health Sciences.

What are the ingredients in ReVasca?

A 2,860 mg proprietary blend of L-citrulline, fucoidan (Laminaria japonica), ViNitrox apple and grape polyphenols, Vascaman organic inner-leaf aloe vera powder, hyaluronic acid, catalase and superoxide dismutase, in capsules (four a day) or a grape-flavoured drink mix (one scoop a day). It contains soy.

Is there clinical evidence that glycocalyx supplements work?

The evidence is developing and mostly positive, but not uniform. Oral glycosaminoglycans (sulodexide) increased glycocalyx dimension in people with type 2 diabetes; randomised placebo-controlled trials of a glycocalyx dietary supplement (glycosaminoglycans plus fucoidan) reduced PBR by about 10% in psoriasis and 7% after COVID-19 over four months, and a three-arm trial improved PBR and MicroVascular Health Score in South-Asian people with type 2 diabetes; two small pilot trials of an earlier formulation found no overall change versus placebo. Response varies by person, which is why the framework ends with a repeat measurement.

How does GlycoCheck compare with FMD or EndoPAT?

Flow-mediated dilation and EndoPAT test how larger arteries respond to a cuff challenge; carotid intima-media thickness and coronary calcium scoring show structural change in large arteries. GlycoCheck images the capillaries themselves and is the only routine clinical test that measures the glycocalyx (PBR) along with capillary density and red-cell perfusion. They look at different levels of the circulation and complement each other.

How often should I repeat a GlycoCheck test?

Take a baseline, retest at about 12 weeks after starting an intervention, then every 6 to 12 months — or after any major change in health, medication or lifestyle.

Can I do the Measure • Restore • Verify framework without a clinician?

You can start ReVasca and lifestyle changes on your own, but the measurement requires a GlycoCheck provider, and anyone with a diagnosed condition, on medication, pregnant or breastfeeding should discuss it with their clinician first. Sharing your reports with your clinician is part of the point.

In closing

The bottom line

Your microcirculation is where health is actually won or lost — and for the first time it can be seen, scored and tracked in a five-minute visit. Measure it, so you know where you stand. Restore it, with the building blocks and habits the endothelium needs. Verify it, so you are never guessing. Then keep going.

If you are ready to start, the order matters: find a GlycoCheck clinic for your baseline, begin ReVasca the same week, and put the 12-week retest in your calendar today.

Sources

References

Papers marked “in our library” are collected, with abstracts, in the GlycoCalyx research library.

  1. Reitsma S, Slaaf DW, Vink H, van Zandvoort MAMJ, oude Egbrink MGA. The endothelial glycocalyx: composition, functions, and visualization. Pflügers Archiv. 2007;454(3):345–359. PubMed
  2. Vink H, Duling BR. Identification of distinct luminal domains for macromolecules, erythrocytes, and leukocytes within mammalian capillaries. Circulation Research. 1996;79(3):581–589. PubMed
  3. Nieuwdorp M, van Haeften TW, Gouverneur MCLG, et al. Loss of endothelial glycocalyx during acute hyperglycemia coincides with endothelial dysfunction and coagulation activation in vivo. Diabetes. 2006;55(2):480–486. PubMed
  4. Lee DH, Dane MJC, van den Berg BM, et al. Deeper penetration of erythrocytes into the endothelial glycocalyx is associated with impaired microvascular perfusion (NEO study, n=915). PLoS ONE. 2014;9(5):e96477. PubMed · In our library
  5. Ikonomidis I, Thymis J, Simitsis P, et al. Impaired endothelial glycocalyx predicts adverse outcome in subjects without overt cardiovascular disease: a 6-year follow-up study. Journal of Cardiovascular Translational Research. 2022;15(4):890–902. PubMed · In our library
  6. Machin DR, Bloom SI, Campbell RA, et al. Advanced age results in a diminished endothelial glycocalyx. American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 2018;315(3):H531–H539. PubMed · In our library
  7. Dane MJC, Khairoun M, Lee DH, et al. Association of kidney function with changes in the endothelial surface layer. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2014;9(4):698–704. · In our library
  8. Gorshkov AY, Klimushina MV, Boytsov SA, Kots AY, Gumanova NG. Increase in perfused boundary region of endothelial glycocalyx is associated with higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease and lesions of microcirculation and vascular wall. Microcirculation. 2018;25(4):e12454. · In our library
  9. Weissgerber TL, Garcia-Valencia O, Milic NM, et al. Early onset preeclampsia is associated with glycocalyx degradation and reduced microvascular perfusion. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2019;8(4):e010647. · In our library
  10. Beurskens DMH, Bol ME, Delhaas T, van de Poll MCG, et al. Decreased endothelial glycocalyx thickness is an early predictor of mortality in sepsis. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. 2020;48(3):221–228. PubMed · In our library
  11. Scarbeck MM, Künnemann MD, Hunkemöller AM, et al. Early detection of glycocalyx and microvascular damage in suspected sepsis in the emergency department: the EDGE study. Critical Care. 2026;30:241. PubMed
  12. Rovas A, Lukasz AH, Vink H, et al. Bedside analysis of the sublingual microvascular glycocalyx in the emergency room and intensive care unit – the GlycoNurse study. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine. 2018;26:16. PubMed · In our library
  13. Eickhoff MK, Winther SA, Hansen TW, et al. Assessment of the sublingual microcirculation with the GlycoCheck system: reproducibility and examination conditions. PLoS ONE. 2020;15(12):e0243737. PubMed · In our library
  14. Bol ME, Broddin BEK, Delhaas T, et al. Variability of microcirculatory measurements in healthy volunteers. Scientific Reports. 2022;12:19887. PubMed · In our library
  15. Wadowski PP, Hülsmann M, Lang IM, et al. Glycocalyx disintegration is associated with mortality in chronic heart failure. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2025;14(10):3571. PubMed
  16. Guse EC, Cotet IG, Mateescu DM, et al. Peripheral microvascular and endothelial dysfunction as predictors of cognitive decline and small vessel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2025;14(23):8543. PubMed
  17. Osiaevi I, Schulze A, Evers G, et al. Persistent capillary rarefication in long COVID syndrome. Angiogenesis. 2023;26(1):53–61. PubMed · In our library
  18. Uncoupling of microvascular blood flow and capillary density in vascular cognitive impairment. · In our library
  19. Sublingual functional capillary rarefaction in chronic heart failure. · In our library
  20. Schmitz B, Niehues H, Lenders M, et al. Effects of high-intensity interval training on microvascular glycocalyx and associated microRNAs. American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 2019;316(6):H1538–H1551. PubMed · In our library
  21. Fuchs A, Neumann T, Drinhaus H, et al. Effects of a single aerobic exercise on perfused boundary region and microvascular perfusion: a field study. Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing. 2022;36(2):371–377. PubMed · In our library
  22. Skeletal muscle capillary density and microvascular function are compromised with aging and type 2 diabetes. · In our library
  23. Differential effects of heat-not-burn, electronic, and conventional cigarettes on endothelial glycocalyx. · In our library
  24. Müller MB, Kammerer T, Khan H, et al. Endothelial glycocalyx perturbation in obstructive sleep apnea. Journal of Translational Medicine. 2026;24:777. PubMed
  25. Franceković P, Gliemann L. Endothelial glycocalyx preservation — impact of nutrition and lifestyle. Nutrients. 2023;15(11):2573. PubMed
  26. Potter DR, Jiang J, Damiano ER. The recovery time course of the endothelial cell glycocalyx in vivo and its implications in vitro. Circulation Research. 2009;104(11):1318–1325. PubMed
  27. Broekhuizen LN, Lemkes BA, Mooij HL, et al. Effect of sulodexide on endothelial glycocalyx and vascular permeability in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetologia. 2010;53(12):2646–2655. PubMed · In our library
  28. van der Velden AIM, IJpelaar DHT, Chandie Shaw PK, et al. Role of dietary interventions on microvascular health in South-Asian Surinamese people with type 2 diabetes in the Netherlands: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition & Diabetes. 2024;14:17. PubMed · In our library
  29. Ikonomidis I, Katsanaki E, Thymis J, et al. The effect of 4-month treatment with glycocalyx dietary supplement on endothelial glycocalyx integrity and vascular function in patients with psoriasis (RCT, n=50). Nutrients. 2024;16(15):2572. PubMed
  30. Pavlidis G, Kountouri A, Katogiannis K, et al. Effects of 4-month treatment with glycocalyx dietary supplement on endothelial glycocalyx and vascular function after COVID-19 infection (RCT, n=57). European Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2025;55(7):e70058. PubMed
  31. Smith JA, Ramirez-Perez FI, Burr K, et al. Impact of dietary supplementation of glycocalyx precursors on vascular function in type 2 diabetes (db/db mice + pilot RCT, n=22). Journal of Applied Physiology. 2024;137(6):1592–1603. PubMed · In our library
  32. Gimblet CJ, Ernst JW, Bell B, et al. Effect of glycocalyx-targeted therapy on vascular function in older adults: a randomized controlled trial (n=23, 12 weeks). Journal of Applied Physiology. 2024;136(6):1488–1495. PubMed · In our library
  33. Machin DR, Trott DW, Gogulamudi VR, et al. Glycocalyx-targeted therapy ameliorates age-related arterial dysfunction. GeroScience. 2023;45:2351–2365. PubMed · In our library
  34. Regier M, Drost CC, Rauen M, et al. A dietary supplement containing fucoidan preserves endothelial glycocalyx through ERK/MAPK signaling and protects against damage induced by CKD serum. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022;23(24):15520. PubMed · In our library
  35. Korakas E, Thymis J, Oikonomou E, et al. Dulaglutide and dapagliflozin combination concurrently improves the endothelial glycocalyx and vascular and myocardial function in patients with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2024;13(24):7497. PubMed
  36. Methods for evaluating endothelial function: a position statement from the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Peripheral Circulation. · In our library
  37. Glycocalyx in vivo measurement (review of laboratory biomarkers vs bedside video microscopy). · In our library

About

About the author and the science

Robert Long

Robert (Bob) Long

Co-Founder & CEO, Genesis Health Sciences · Director of Nutraceutical Research

Bob formulated the Institute’s glycocalyx nutraceuticals, of which ReVasca® is the latest refinement, and has worked alongside Dr Vink for more than fifteen years to turn glycocalyx science into clinical practice. Full CV

Dr Hans Vink, PhD

Dr Hans Vink, PhD

Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer · Inventor of GlycoCheck®

A pioneer of endothelial glycocalyx research with more than 250 published papers and over 16,000 citations. Dr Vink invented the GlycoCheck® system and validates the Institute’s formulations with it. The pioneers

Start the loop

Measure it. Restore it. Prove it.

Everything you need is here on glycocalyx.com — the test locator, the science, the research library and ReVasca®.

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