Are lectins contributing to your arthritis
Sonia Jones From The Haven Spa and Health Clinic
Do you know what lectins are? You may have heard of ricin, its a highly toxic substance. What might surprise you is that it occurs naturally in castor bean. The very beans used to make castor oil.
In 1998 experiments with genetically-modified potatoes caused a problem as they damaged the brains and immune systems of rats that ate them. It was the lectins found in the potatoes that were the problem and did the damage. How did this happen? Potatoes were modified with the genes from a South African bean known to be toxic to insect, and evidently rats. They thought this would make the plant insect proof. Lectins are found in varying degrees in plants and animals, some are obviously very powerful, other are so weak they are not worth mentioning.
Peter D’Adamo ND talks about lectins in his books on blood types, and how they can affect us in different ways. Lectins are glycoproteins that can agglutinate cells, meaning lectins act like superglue sticking cells together, acting like an enzymes which means it doesn’t take part but evokes a change. Lectins usually effect red or white blood cells but frankly they can affect cells of any organ like the kidneys, pancreas, or liver etc. Our intestinal lining is exposed every time we eat. It has been found the affect lectins have on cells of the gut and bacteria of the intestines causes a cascade of reactions within the body.
Lectins are found in quite high levels in beans in general and in peanuts (which are legumes), this way so many people have problems with these foods. However, if the beans have been cooked at high enough temperatures for long enough the lectins will have been inactivated. But a lot escape cooking and digestion to end up in the blood stream to reek havoc on the immune system. Then there are foods when cooked – the lectins levels are increased for instance in cooked banana, carrots, or corn.
Then there are many common foods (cooked or not) that contain lectins that can inactivate digestive enzymes for instance in avocado, apples, bananas, wheat, tomato, carrots, corn and lettuce.
As for as arthritis is concerned lectins are inflammatory, ultimately causing histamine and other inflammatory mediators to be released. this thought to be the root of many food intolerances triggering a hyper-permeability which leads to auto-immune diseases like arthritis. As these compounds cross the gut wall into the main circulation they interfere with the body’s hormone balance, metabolism and health in general.
Go easy on the foods mentioned above.