In the last several months, we have had numerous patients with various complaints, and all were traced back to lectins as the root cause. So, what are lectins? Lectins are large proteins that bind to carbohydrates (polysaccharides and sialic acid). They are found in seeds, grains, skins, rinds, and leaves in most plants, but are predominantly found in higher quantities in beans, grains, nuts, seeds, and nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant, paprika, and cayenne pepper).
In plants, lectins play a crucial role in defense and communication for cell organization. However, in humans, their role is much different and can be a huge contributor to several health issues. Our bodies are not capable of properly breaking down lectins, and neither are most cooking methods. Therefore, for an average person, eating foods high in lectins can be a major problem. For a more sensitive person, even low amounts of lectins can cause the same amount of problems.
We see a lot of patients dealing with increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and sensitivity to lectins can be considered the root cause. “Leaky gut” allows things that would not normally have any access to our bloodstream to have direct access, leading to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Grave’s disease, psoriasis, scleroderma, lupus, Sjogren syndrome, and Celiac disease, to name a few.
Dysbiosis is an imbalance in our gut ecology, and lectins create an environment that makes it more susceptible. So, lectins can make it easier for you to get dysbiosis and harder to treat if they are not addressed appropriately. For this reason, we typically treat both of them at the same time unless a patient has specific sensitivities or other factors prohibiting this treatment. Lectins interfere with cellular communication and are toxic to our nervous and immune systems. Someone that continually gets sick or experiences any of the following symptoms below could have issues with lectins.
Nervous System Toxicity Symptoms:
- Tongue Numbness
- Metallic Taste
- Lightheadedness
- Dizziness
- Visual and auditory disturbances (difficulty focusing and tinnitus)
- Disorientation
- Drowsiness
Skin irritations or rashes are other common occurrences we see with patients having issues with lectins. So, if you had multiple trips to the dermatologist to no avail, you could possibly be dealing with a lectin issue.