What are LECTINS and how they may be affecting your health without you knowing it

Image from National Center for Biotechology Information., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=268864

Lectins are sticky proteins that attach to carbohydrates in a very specific manner depending on the different carbohydrate groups of other molecules.

According to Dr. Steven Gundry, a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, lectins are a defense mechanism that plants use when they feel threatened by yeast, bacteria, insects or humans.

Dr. Gundry explains that certain plants are potential inflammatories and inflammation is the starting point for the development of many diseases. Some lectins, such as the one found in wheat germ (wheat germ agglutinin), attach to cell receptors in the intestinal mucosa and interfere with the absorption of nutrients through the walls of the intestine.

In fact, Gundry showed that dietary lectins can cause an autoimmune attack on the surface of blood vessels. This can be done by measuring a cytokine called IL-16 that draws inflammatory cells to a site in the body. Dr. Gundry showed that eliminating dietary lectins reversed this in patients with a level already determined to be projected to have acute coronary syndrome over the next 5 years. This was achieved by reducing the production of IL-16.

According to Gundry and other physicians, lectins contribute to or are a major factor in the development of age-related diseases such as arthritis, heart disease and neuropathies. In addition, evidence is accumulating that Parkinson's disease may be a consequence of lectins in the body.

Should we then eliminate lectins from our diet?

Dr. Gundry strongly recommends it in his book “The Longevity Paradox: Dying Young at an Old Age,” and although there are some human groups for whom consuming lectins is likely to be harmful, Gundry points out that avoiding lectins is an essential strategy for longevity, especially if you have problems with your intestinal tract.

However, if you have a relatively healthy colon, meaning a diverse microbiome (population of good and bad bacteria spread in the right proportion), a thick and healthy intestinal lining, you can probably resist the effect of lectins.

Unfortunately, our modern society is constantly exposed to a number of chemicals, preservatives and contaminants in the air, water and food we consume, so it is possible that your body is vulnerable to the action of lectins.

Lessons from the blue zones

Gundry was a professor at Loma Linda University in California for years. Loma Linda is classified as one of the world's blue zones (where many of its residents live very long lives) and whose population consumes virtually no animal protein. For more information see my article on blue zones here

However, Gundry explains that many of his most severely ill patients were vegetarians and vegans because their diet consisted primarily of refined grains and flours. By eliminating foods with high lectin levels, patients improved substantially.

Health markers in the oldest living: IGF-1 and mTOR

So many acronyms may be a little confusing, but let me explain what they mean and why they may be important.

IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor type 1, or somatomedin C hormone. For these doctors, extremely long-lived people have an IGF-1 index between 70 and 80.

Second, very long-lived people have low body temperatures (approximately 35ºC) and tend to be hypothyroid, especially in terms of T3 levels.

In certain cases during fasting, T3 is low but thyroid stimulating hormones (TSHs) are perfectly normal.

Longevity requires metabolic flexibility and that is why IGF-1 levels are so important, since it activates the mTOR or mammalian target of rapamycin pathways.

Mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR is a protein that helps control several cellular functions, including cell growth and survival; it binds with rapamycin and other drugs. Mammalian target of rapamycin is more active in some types of cancer cells than in normal cells. Preventing the action of mammalian target of rapamycin may result in the destruction of cancer cells . ( 1 )

If IGF-1 levels are kept low, mTOR is not activated, but autophagy is activated, which is one of the most important metabolic processes that take place in our body. During autophagy, subcellular waste is broken down and eliminated, giving way to cell renewal and rejuvenation.

Now, the longevity paradox is not about whether or not you eat meat, or whether you eliminate lectins from your diet. The message is that “we must have periods of calorie restriction at short to medium intervals of time, call it intermittent fasting or time-restricted fasting or water fasting. A water fast, however, is not enough, you need to remove toxins and waste from the body and in this case, temporarily eliminating foods that contain lectins can be very effective. Actually, the practice of moderate fasting, from time to time, can have profound therapeutic effects on the body.

Symptoms of possible lectin sensitivity

According to the online magazine Power of Positivity , plants naturally develop this anti-nutrient to protect their seeds from being digested by birds and other animals. The lectin is important for the plant because it protects the integrity of the seed from being broken down and allows it to pass straight through the gut and then be eliminated. Once out, the seed has survived intact and can germinate to become a new plant.

The human immune system responds to the absorption of lectins by producing antibodies, but the best way to find out if you have lectin intolerance is to undergo a medical examination. The same publication advises that you consult with your health specialist if you have any of the following symptoms.

1. Leaky gut

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, all grains contain sticky proteins called prolamines that can be very sticky and the human body is not designed to break them down properly. Substances in grains, including gliadin and lectin, cause increased permeability, or leaky bowel syndrome. This disorder can cause symptoms such as bloating, gas and abdominal cramps.

2. Fatigue

Lectin is associated with chronic fatigue syndrome in some people. The good news is that just eliminating foods with a high lectin content can make it reversible.

3. Mental health problems

A study of indigenous cultures without access to wheat (which is high in lectins), compared to cultures that frequently consume wheat, concluded that gluten in grains was harmful to people with schizophrenia. The authors of the study do not suggest that grains cause the disease, but that lectins and gluten can trigger an autoimmune response in the body, like a chemically induced mental illness.

Wheat-based products have the ability to reduce the amount of serotonin hormone that can lead to depressive states and their symptoms. This does not mean that eliminating lectin from the diet can cure a mental condition but it can improve psycho-emotional balance.

4. Skin allergies

Lectin sensitivity can manifest externally as dry, flaky, itchy skin. Redness and itching are often the first signs of the problem.

5. Joint pain

The inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis is aggravated by lectin. Joint pain and inflammation can result in mortifying consequences for your health because your motivation and desire for activity or exercise would be diminished as a result of the pain.

6. Allergies

Lectin sensitivity may manifest as an allergic response. You may notice watery eyes, runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, itchy skin, mouth, or tongue.

7. Nausea

Similar to the effect gluten has on the body, a lectin sensitivity is not good for your appetite. It's funny, but your body "knows" what's good for you and what's not; you may feel queasy when you go to eat a lectin-containing food if your body has had a negative reaction to it before.

8. Muscle weakness

Due to the lack of absorption of vitamin B-12 in the intestine, muscle weakness occurs. Lack of muscle strength leads to problems with balance and walking.

9. Sensation of muscle numbness

The sensation of numbness in the extremities may be due to the absence of nutrients such as vitamin B-12 that pass through the digestive system without being absorbed due to lectins that inhibit the absorption of this nutrient.

10. Compromised immune system

Getting sick with the flu frequently may be due to a sensitivity to lectins. In this case, you can start eliminating individual grains, nuts, beans, tomatoes, cantaloupe, squash, eggs, and all forms of potatoes from your diet if you want to take control of your health immediately.

Foods that contain lectins

Because lectins are found in many plant foods, if you still have weight problems on a plant-based diet, as well as autoimmune disorders, it is possible that lectins are the cause.

Since lectins are present in almost all plant foods, you should start by eliminating the most harmful ones. So, if you have any health problems in which lectins are possibly involved, it would be wise to eliminate the following foods completely.

To avoid (at least for a while to see if the body is relieved of the symptoms)

• Corn
• Corn-fed meat. This includes most meats sold in supermarkets. To avoid factory-farmed meats, i.e. corn-fed meats, you should make sure the meat you buy is certified grass-fed.
• Milk with A1 casein. A2 casein is the normal protein present in goat, sheep and water buffalo milk. Nowadays, cows are producers of A1 casein.
• Unfermented soy products, as well as cashews and peanuts.
• Red bean

Moderate consumption of the following foods. Here, it is possible to soak, sprout and cook certain foods whose high levels of lectins can be reduced by these procedures.

• Legumes such as peas, chickpeas, lentils, broad beans and mung beans.
• Vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes, eggplant and bell peppers.
• Vegetables from the cucurbit family such as pumpkin and zucchini.

Tips for preparing and cooking legumes properly

Never eat raw or undercooked legumes as they could cause toxic effects.

To cook grains that are lectin-free and safe to consume, you should:

• Soak legumes for at least 12 hours before cooking and change the soaking water several times. You can add baking soda to the soaking water to enhance the lectin neutralization process.
• After 12 hours, rinse the legumes with clean water and discard the soaking water.
• Cook the legumes on high heat for 15 minutes. If you use a pressure cooker, let it whistle once, lower the temperature and let them finish cooking for about 45 minutes.

Vegetables and other nutrients that can be eaten without restriction

The safest foods to consume in terms of lectins are asparagus, celery, mushrooms and onions. But also,

• Cooked tubers such as sweet potatoes and cassava
• All green leafy vegetables
• Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.
• Carrots, artichokes and beets
• Avocados
• Olives
• Shelled almonds, macadamia nuts, shelled hemp seeds
• Black chocolate
• Coconut, almond and sesame flours
• Ghee, coconut oil, sesame, macadamia.
• Goat cheese if you consume dairy products

This information about lectins is for you to keep in mind and to help you become more familiar with your own body every day. Sometimes people are sensitive to certain foods or react badly to wheat or dairy products and they do not necessarily have to be celiac or lactose intolerant.

Try switching from wheat products to other flours first to see how your body responds, and the same with cow's milk products. Try goat cheese and water buffalo cheese to see how your digestive tract receives it.

A golden rule with our body is not to give it too much of something because it is possible that it will develop an allergy .

Try to vary your foods, your eating times, your eating quantities so that you keep your metabolism active.

And remember: drink enough pure water!