Lectins

Introduction

It is often assumed that the benefits of a diet are from the foods that we include, but I would postulate that many of the effects come from the removal of foods that are detrimental. Moreover, you may have persisting syomtoms that are not due to your current diet, but actually due to foods that you are in the past!

What are lectins?

Lectins are very likely the most abundant, and possibly the most dangerous, natural chemical produced in plants. Moreover, due to the mainstream dietary recommendations, lectins are contained in many of the foods that we eat in different forms, and at differing amounts.Lectins are indigestible plant compounds that have been linked to gut distress, gut damage, and the exacerbation of autoimmune conditions. These molecules are produced in plants to deter animals from consuming specific portions of a plant, but nowadays we have normalized the consumption of foods high in lectins, and we have normalized their negative ramifications. Have you ever felt bloated or gassy after a meal containing beans and other legumes? Well, these symptoms come back to the high levels of lectins that are deteriorating the integrity and strength of your gut! Lectins are found in all plants, but are the most concentrated in legumes such as beans, nuts and seeds. Lectins are actually proteins, and they have a very high affinity to bind to carbohydrates, which is dangerous as human and animal cells are composed of glycoproteins. Glycoproteins are composed of a carbohydrate group that is hydrophilic, meaning that the carbohydrate portion of our cells is exposed to any of the molecules that are contained in our intestinal tract. Thus, lectins can easily and often bind to our cells and cause a multitude of adverse ramifications to the integrity and structure of our cells.

Lectins use in blood typing

Lectin's effects on the human body have actually been known about for a lot longer than one might expect. Historically, lectins have been used for blood typing. As different red blood cells contain different carbohydrates, patients were given different forms of lectins that had affinities for certain carbohydrate molecules. If given the lectin that binds to the sugar that is contained in your red blood cells, the lectins would bind to red blood cells. Thereafter, other red blood cells would begin binding to the lectin and red blood cell moiety, and that would begin to cause blood clotting. Depending on the lectin that evoked clotting effects, doctors could determine what blood type the patient was. It is also important to note that the sugar molecules that are contained in your red blood cells are also contained in the lining of your gut. These individual differences explain why certain individuals have different reactions to certain lectins, some being more extreme than others. (6.)

Lectins and leaky gut

If a lectin does have an affinity for the carbohydrate molecules contained in your gut, which they often do, then we begin to see many deleterious health effects of these molecules. The human gut is lined with epithelial cells that are connected by tight junctions, which make it very difficult for unwanted molecules within our gut to pass through and make it into our circulating blood stream. There are microvilli on top of these epithelial cells that contain glycocalyx, which has a carbohydrate component that lectins will bind to. As a result, lectins cause what is referred to as leaky gut, in which they damage the tight junction of the epithelial cells, creating gaps and openings that allow for toxins, including lectin, to pass through the gut, and get into other areas of the body in which they begin imparting our physical and cognitive function(1 ). Food particles outside of the gut are no longer viewed as nutrients, rather they become harmful pathogens that cause inflammatory responses. In particular, when lectins permeate through the gut and into circulation, they bind to specific cells according to their sugar molecules.

Lectins can have insulin like effects

Lectins are capable of binding to the insulin receptors on our cells and mimic the action of insulin (2 ). When lectins are administered, studies demonstrate a transient decrease in lipolysis, or fat burning, and increased storage of glucose into fat cells. These actions were actually shown to be even more intense than what the actual insulin molecules would produce!

Lectins and mast cell activation

Mast cells are cells in the human body that contain large amounts of toxins, cytokines, and other molecules that are released when a pathogenic bacteria is detected. Within minutes of the recognition of an infectious pathogen, mast cells release their constituents, which causes inflammation such as swelling and edema. The inflammation is used as a signal for immune cells to bind the pathogen and eventually destroy it. When food permeates out of the gut, it is seen as a harmful bacteria, therefore we have an immune response to the presence of food particles in our bloodstream akin to what occurs during viral infections. Mast cells release a specific mediator many are familiar with called histamines, which are normally evoked in response to an allergen. Histamines are the chemicals responsible for the inflammatory symptom that allows for immune cells to locate and destroy pathogens. Lectins and other food particles that get into circulation from the intestinal permeability induced by lectins cause unnecessary inflammation and immune activity in order to inhibit them from affecting tissues they should not have come in contact with in the first place if we had a secure gut barrier. (7)

Neurological damage from lectin consumption

Lectins also have the ability to ascend, through the vagus nerve, and attach to different receptors within the brain, inducing very dangerous psychological disorders such as Parkinson's disease (3) . Lectins have the capability to get into the brain and destroy neural connections, leading to abnormal and dangerous neuroplasticity that alters one's function, and causes degeneration and inflammation of a healthy brain. Lectin removal has been demonstrated to help eradicate migraines, parkinsonian like symptoms, and other mental disorders that are described as autoimmune disorders.

Lectins role in autoimmune disease

Finally, as many many individuals such as Mikhala Peterson and other carnivore advocates, the removal of lectins can help ameliorate autoimmune diseases such as joint pain and arthritis. Autoimmune disease broadly describes the process of the body attacking its own healthy cells. This reaction occurs due to a mischaracterization of internal cells as pathogenic molecules. These effects are often exuded by lectins' ability to induce a process referred to as "molecular mimicry." As mentioned, lectins outside of the gut are viewed but the body as pathogens. Thus, the body will begin to produce antigens that bind to the lectin, and evoke the production of antibodies. These antibodies are specific to the antigen they are meant to combat, therefore they will bind to and destroy that specific antigen. However, many of our healthy cells contain identical antigens. Thus, antibodies produced to eradicate lectins begin to bind to healthy tissues and cells and degrade their function and health (4).

How the to fix what lectins caused

Due to the promotion of lectin-containing foods, most of us have likely consumed more lectins than we should, which is likely none at all. However, an animal based diet can be very beneficial in combating the downstream consequences of lectin consumption. Due to their role in the composition of the gut lining, consumption of dietary fats can repair and strengthen the mucus layer of the gut. Thus, reducing symptoms of leaky gut, the occurrence of intestinal permeability induced by plant compounds such as lectins (5)

Conclusions

Lectins are just one of many compounds found in plants that are curated by the plant to induce physical damage when consumed. Lectins do not provide any nutritional benefit, and the only possible effects they may have are detrimental. If a lectin does not have an affinity for specific cells within your body, they are simply excreted in the same form they were consumed in. Lectins can however cause severe and long lasting effects to our health and the integrity of our healthy cells However, all hope is not lost! The removal of lectins, and inclusion of high fat foods such as red meat, fatty fish and butter, can help eradicate the negative consequences of past consumption of lectins.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)79894-9/fulltext

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6357762/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4780318/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7036108/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4426262/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12503049/#:~:text=Lectins%2C%20as%20an%20antigenic%20determinant,regarded%20as%20commercially%20suitable%20antisera

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2455994/