Every time I ask a patient if they know what lectins are, they say no. But if I ask them about gluten, they do know that it is a component of wheat that often causes bad feelings and causes many problems. Almost everyone knows that gluten is a substance that makes people sick and that it is best to avoid it. Gluten is just one lectin, but there are many thousands of lectins that people don't know about and that are just as harmful or more harmful than gluten.
If you have: 1. Digestive problems, 2. Pain, or 3. An autoimmune disease, you may have a problem with lectins. If so, I would like this information to help you become aware of the problem, and improve your health. This article is based on information from an extraordinary book on lectins entitled “Plant Paradox” written by Dr. Gundry who has specialized in the subject.
Lectins in Nature
Lectins are sticky proteins found in foods that bind to sugars and are used by bacteria to grow in our bodies. Although gluten is the best known, there are thousands of lectins out there that are much worse than gluten. Ricin, for example, is the most potent lectin in existence. Two molecules of this lectin can kill a person. But don't worry, it is present on the African continent.
It is interesting to know that when a plant is not ripe, it has a lot of toxins, including lectins. Much of the fruit we eat today is fruit that has been harvested green in some far away part of the world and has had ethylene oxide added to it to slow down the ripening process. So those fruits we eat out of season, which come from far away, have the problem of lectins, and also an added chemical.
There are different toxic substances present in plants that prevent them from being consumed and continue their biological cycle. Among them we find different types:
- Phytates (Also called anti-nutrients)
- Trypsin inhibitors (They hinder the work of digestive enzymes)
- Lectins
- Tannins
- Alkaloids
According to Dr. Gundry, many of the symptoms of aging are actually the effects of excess lectins. Lectins reach the brain via the intestinal flora and the vagus nerve. This nerve's function is to get information from the flora to the brain.
How Lectins Harm Us
- They cause toxic or inflammatory reactions
- They facilitate the work of viruses and bacteria
- They perforate the intestinal wall and cause an autoimmune reaction.
- Lectins attach to sugar molecules called sialic acid that are present in the intestinal flora, brain, joints, and all fluids including blood vessels. This can cause each of these functions to become disrupted.
- They are able to block our hormones
- They block the absorption of vitamins and other nutrients .
For example, 94% of the population is born with antibodies to the lectin in peanuts.
Some people may say that lectins do not affect them because they do not notice anything when they consume them. Although it is true that depending on the condition of the intestinal flora, the person will tolerate lectins better or worse, there is always an effect, even if it is minimal and cumulative . When a person smokes a cigarette, they do not notice any harm to their body, but it occurs. This is also the case with lectins.
Bread and Lectins
Many people know that gluten is found in bread, but what they don't know is that wheat acts like an opiate in the brain . Most people tolerate it because they are addicted to it. In addition, it has a second lectin found in the husk of the whole grain called agglutinin . Agglutinin is a particularly small protein compared to other larger proteins, so if the gut flora is healthy, agglutinin can pass through the intestinal wall more easily than other lectins. Here's what agglutinin can do to our bodies:
- It behaves like insulin and can act as an endocrine disruptor .
- It prevents sugar from entering the muscle cells, creating more body fat and preventing the muscle from being fed.
- Interferes with protein digestion .
- It promotes inflammation by generating free radicals that can reduce the mucosal flora.
- It interacts with other proteins creating antibodies that can induce autoimmune responses . These antibodies are distinct from those formed by the reaction to gluten.
- It crosses the blood-brain barrier, introducing other substances to which it has adhered, and causing neurological problems .
- It destroys cells without distinguishing between cancerous and normal cells.
- Interferes with DNA replication .
- It causes arteriosclerosis by promoting the increase of plaque in the arteries.
- It promotes the entry of viruses into the body, such as the flu virus, through the intestinal flora, adhering to sialic acid in the mucosa of the flora.
- It contributes to the development of nephritis or kidney inflammation.
Fermentation with yeast destroys the lectins in bread. The longer the bread is left to rise, the less lectins the bread will have, especially if you use sourdough. However, there are always residual lectins, so my recommendation is to always use a sprouted bread in which there are no more lectins such as gluten.
Glucosamine also blocks the action of agglutinin and other lectins, removing them from the body before they harm us.
Health Problems Solved by Dr. Gundry with a Lectin-Free Diet as listed in his book “Plant Paradox” pp. 68-70:
- Joint pain
- Gastroesophageal reflux.
- Acne
- Age spots
- Allergy
- Alopecia
- Anemia
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Autoimmune diseases (including Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Crown's disease, colitis, and lupus)
- Osteopenia and osteoporosis
- Cancer
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Chronic pain
- Intestinal colic
- Dementia
- Depression
- Diabetes, prediabetes, and insulin resistance.
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches
- Hypertension
- Infertility
- Irregular menstruation
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Low testosterone
- Low white blood cell count
- Lymphomas
- Leukemia
- Memory loss
- Malnutrition due to malabsorption
- Parkinson's disease
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Skin problems such as dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis and vitiligo
Foods with More and Less Lectins
As I mentioned, lectins are widely distributed in nature and food. The important thing is to know which foods have a higher concentration of lectins to avoid them, and which ones have less. You don't need a new diet, but you can be aware of the foods that can harm you the most. So whatever your diet, you can avoid foods with more lectins and improve your health.
The following table has been compiled from the list that appears in the book “Plant Paradox”:
How to avoid lectins
Almost all foods contain lectins, but we can avoid eating foods that contain a higher proportion of them , or cook them well so that they lose some of them. If we wanted to avoid all lectins, we would have to stop eating them, since lectins are present in practically all foods.
Cooking partially breaks down lectins . Cooking in a pressure cooker is the best way to inactivate a large part of the lectins. My own experience, for example, has been that cooking rice twice makes it easier to digest. However, each person has a certain tolerance to lectins. Sprouting both legumes and cereals also helps to avoid lectins.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) , 20% of food poisoning in the United States is due to poorly cooked legumes .
Quinoa also has lectins, and the Incas knew very well how to reduce or eliminate them with three processes they carried out before eating it:
- Soaking
- Fermentation
- Cooking
Dr. Gundry's Four Rules
In his book, Dr. Gundry defends the idea that there are four simple rules that, if followed, will ensure a person's health. According to him:
- What you stop eating (lectins) is more important to your health than what you eat.
- Take care of your flora and it will take care of you. Dr. Gundry recommends using a good probiotic to repair the damage done by lectins. This is the one I use and recommend.
- Eat little fruit. Most of them are loaded with lectins and excess sugar (fructose).
- You are the food that ate the food you eat. For example, if you eat eggs, you are indirectly eating the food that the chicken ate.
Conclusion
The human body is extremely sensitive and sophisticated. As long as we take care of it, it will stay healthy and full of energy. And lectins undermine both of these. Reduce the amount of lectins in your diet and see the benefits.
If cooking legumes or rice, use a pressure cooker to reduce the amount of lectins as much as possible.
Use a good supplement from time to time to help you improve and maintain your intestinal flora in good condition so that you can avoid digestive or immunological problems. The product that I myself use and recommend is Body Biotic . Of all the pre-probiotics (also called synbiotics) it is the one that has obtained the best results, both in me and in others.
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