A t f rtn fund n bn, rn, nd other fibrous fdltn r the ubjt of many nutritional dbt. Some people blv ltn u nflmmtn, GI rblm, lk gut syndrome, joint n, nd a ht f thr rblm. Othr people? They lectins are nt nl safe, but l good for us, ulng fiber nd thr nutrients we nd to fight off d, nludng cancer.
As wth most nutrtn debates, th nwr r nuanced. A w know, nutrtn n tll vr young. Stll nt old nugh t be trutd wth r.
Ltn are a t of rbhdrt-bndng protein. (Glutnlblld by m a nutrition "bad gu" rbbl the mt ntru lectin.)
When I refer to "lectins", I'm mnl tlkng about lnt ltn, rmrl one lld phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). Rw bn nd lgum are loaded with PHA, whh n lead to acute nng n high munt. (Dn't wrrmt of th PHA content dtrd when u k bn and thr ltn-rh foods.) You can thnk f ltn as bult-n bdgurd fr plants.
Well, ltn nflun mn aspects f our hlth. Lt' take a lk at their rl in th body.
Ltn nd th intestinal wll
A food passes thrugh th gut, t u very mnr dmg to the lining f the GI tract. Nrmll our ll rr this damage quickly. Since th ur of th gut lnng is t lt mll nutrients pass nt th bloodstream, but still k lrgr rtl ntnd, it's important for this rr tm t b wrkng wll.
Lectins nd th mmun tm
When ltn pass into ur bldtrm, we often produce antibodies t thm. Antbd rgnz frgn ubtn lk btr and vru, and munt n inflammatory mmun tm response t rtt us.
LECTIN FREE DIET
Th dt nvlv hvl restricting ltn n th dt, whh r a gru f rtn tht cause red bld ll to lum together b bndng to rbhdrt. For xml, gluten a t f lectin. Th diet h been rmtd b n Amrn Crdlgt lld Dr Stvn Gundry.
The theory lectins r rnt n lnt in rdr t defend thm gnt nt and animals, and that th ltn can hrm humn by bndng to the lining f our gut. Th ld to nflmmtn nd hlth u, uh as utmmun drdr, dbt, lk gut syndrome, heart d nd nurdgnrtv d.
Ltn r found n a vrt f foods nludng:
Bn, lntl, hk and peas.
All grn especially wht, r nd corn and rdut md from these like brd nd cake.