lectin free diet

[Jenreum]

Hi all,

Has anyone had success with the lectin free diet? I've recently read The Plant Paradox, by Dr. Gundry.
It is very interesting. Basically stating that some foods contain lectins to protect them from being eaten.
Animals caught on quickly but humans seem to just keep eating these foods causing us all types of issues, one is gastro related. You eliminate gluten( very high in lectins), but you do eat a lot of veggies, which tend to be hard for us with collagenous colitis to eat.

Just wondered if anyone has tried and had success?


Thank you!
Jen

[tex]

Hi Jen,

Here's a quote from pages 17–19 of Understanding Microscopic Colitis:

What type of antinutrients are likely to cause problems?
There are many known different types of these defensive mechanisms, but the most notable examples tend to cause symptoms ranging from irritating to toxic. Some of the antinutrients for which research data have been published include (but are not limited to) lectins, chitins, benzoxazinoids, and amylase trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) Because predators (including humans) typically learn to avoid plants that cause obvious symptoms, those plants are usually avoided, or not even considered to be food. It's the plants that cause more subtle or delayed symptoms that tend to be the most troublesome, because the cause of the problem may not be easily recognized.

Lectins are a well-known cause of digestive problems.
They can bind to cell membranes and they can cause sugar molecules to stick together, a process known as agglutination (Sullivan, 2016, October 5).i Over three decades ago the wheat germ agglutinin (in wheat) was shown to be a lectin (Kolberg, & Sollid, 1985).ii The agglutinating properties of gluten are what make the molecules in bread dough stick together and allow it to be kneaded. Lectins normally are not affected by gastric acid or digestive enzymes, so they tend to remain undigested. That means that they retain their antagonistic properties while passing through the digestive system. They can bind to cell membranes in intestinal walls, arteries, and organs, resulting in irritation and possible cellular damage.

Do lectins cause leaky gut?
Clearly, because wheat germ agglutinin is a lectin, that implies that at least some lectins can cause leaky gut. Some of the most common sources of lectins are grains, legumes, dairy, and nightshades. And it's probably not a coincidence that the 8 most common allergens (wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish) contain some of the highest amounts of lectins. Lectins are probably the main reason why a low-carbohydrate diet works so well to prevent heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and sometimes other digestive system problems (because a low-carbohydrate diet reduces lectin intake). Fortunately the problems caused by many lectins can often be minimized by proper cooking methods, but some of them cannot be degraded sufficiently by cooking, so they still cause problems for many individuals.

Certain carbohydrates (specifically mono and oligosaccarides) can bind specific lectins and prevent them from attaching to cell membranes (Sullivan, 2016, October 5). N-acetyl-glucosamine (aka N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, GlcNAc, or NAG) is an enzyme occurring naturally in the body. It's the main binding target of wheat lectin. Therefore it seems reasonable to suspect that this may be the reason why glucosamine compounds have the ability to protect cells in cartilage and possibly in the intestines from inflammation damage associated with gluten-induced arthritis. If the lectins bind to a glucosamine supplement, they can't bind to cells in the body. This implies that the arthritis symptoms associated with MC and other IBDs may be reduced by taking an over the counter (OTC) glucosamine product. In practice, many MC patients and others who suffer from gluten-induced arthritis have found that glucosamine does indeed help to relieve joint pains.

Here are the references listed in that quote:

14. Sullivan, K. (2016, October 5). The lectin report. Krispin's Komments on Nutrition and Health. Retrieved from http://www.krispin.com/lectin.html

15. Kolberg, J., & Sollid, L. (1985). Lectin activity of gluten identified as wheat germ agglutinin. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 130(2),867-72. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3839672

I hope that helps.

Tex