The Dangers of Lectins

By C Verboom and P Percival

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Lectins are proteins normally bound to carbohydrates found in almost all plant foods. They are chemicals naturally produced by plants as a defense against insect attack and high concentrations of these substances are found in grains, beans and nuts.

New research would suggest that these lectins, created to be harmful to insects, may also be harmful to humans. Consequently most people on a standard western diet who consume large amounts of grain and soy products may be putting their health at risk by eating these foods.

A diet high in foods containing lectins, eaten consistently over a long time, has been linked with various intestinal health problems from IBS to cancer. At the very least lectins stick to the lining of the small intestines and damage the villi responsible for transporting nutrients into the blood stream.

Exposure to certain lectins is known to cause a reaction referred to as “leaky gut”. When leaky gut occurs the lining of the intestine becomes increasingly permeable so that particles of undigested food including proteins and toxins that would normally be blocked are able to enter the bloodstream and bind to organs, connective and other tissues in the body. To protect the body from this onslaught, the immune system responds by inflaming the affected tissue before combatting the perceived antigen. This process eventually leads to tissue damage. As a result, long term exposure to high amounts of lectins in the diet has been linked to autoimmune diseases like arthritis, rheumatism, IBS and Crohn’s disease.

Gluten

In addition to lectins many grains contain gluten. It has been scientifically demonstrated that the protein that forms gluten is often misidentified by the human immune system as Norovirus (gastro or stomach flu). This nasty little virus apparently carries the same protein signature. In other words people don’t have to have Crohn’s disease to be intolerant to Gluten, everyone maybe affected in some way by this grain-specific protein and suffer bloating and intestinal discomfort as a result.

The Following Foods are High in Lectins

Grains: Wheat, rye, barley rice and corn.
Legumes: Especially dried beans such as kidney, navy and soy.
Plants of the nightshade family such as tomatoes, eggplant, capsicums, chilies and potatoes.
Nuts and seeds, almonds, pecan nuts, cashew, sunflower seeds etc...

How to Limit the Effects of Lectins.

Smothering foods containing lectins with fat (i.e. adding butter) has been shown to reduce absorption of lectins.

To limit exposure to lectins simply eliminate some of the foods from your diet that are known to contain high amounts, such as wheat and soy beans. This can be quite challenging because these foods are used everywhere - while they are heavily promoted by grain farming industries and GMO manufacturers. Even derivatives like soy bean oil contain lectins. Such oils are common in many processed foods and may be identified only as vegetable oil. Therefore checking the details on food labels before you buy can reveal a lot about the food on offer. As a general rule, producing meals from whole foods will give you the greatest control of what goes into your family’s digestive systems.

It may not be necessary to give up foods high in lectins entirely because there are ways of reducing lectin content by soaking, sprouting, fermenting, cooking or using a combination of these methods on the raw food source.

For example:

Traditional sourdough, which relies on bacteria to ferment wheat flour, has been shown to contain fewer lectins. These substances, as well as gluten and starch, are consumed and broken down by the fermentation bacteria. Fermented dough may be significantly better for us compared to commercial (faster) bread doughs. Unfortunately traditional sourdough is difficult to make and takes a long time, making it less cost effective for industrial bakeries to produce. Obviously, sourdough made by adding vinegar, lactic acid or yoghurt is not real sourdough.
Soaking and boiling peeled potatoes (a member of the night-shade family) can reduce lectin content. Generous use of butter is another alternative.
Soaking dried lentils and beans (legumes) over night then pouring off the water, can help to leach out the lectins bound to carbohydrates in the kernel.

Otherwise reducing the amounts and frequency of consumption of high lectin foods by supplanting them with a broader variety of healthier alternatives may be an easier first step. We at LEN have given up commercial breads (wheat and soy products) entirely and can confirm reduction in intestinal bloating, gas and GI distress first hand. Lower overall body fat percentages as a result of eating less carbohydrate is a secondary benefit.

For some useful information on traditional meal preparation techniques, such as soaking and fermenting check out the links below:

For more information on lectins refer to these articles::

And here are some books we recommend: