"We were able to demonstrate that if you have oral paraquat exposure, even at very low levels, and you also consume lectins [...] then it could potentially trigger the formation of this protein — alpha-synuclein — in the gut. Once it's formed, it can travel up the vagus nerve and to the part of the brain that triggers the onset of Parkinson's disease."
medicalnewstoday.com/articl...
Everything you need to know about the lectin-free diet
It's no surprise that the top 8 food allergens contain higher amounts of lectins, including: dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. In fact, about 20% of all cases of rheumatoid arthritis are caused by lectins in the nightshade family.
How do you neutralize lectins?
This is probably the most classic method of preparing beans and grains. Soak beans and legumes overnight, and change the water often. Drain and rinse again before cooking. Adding sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda) to the soaking water may help neutralize the lectins further.
Does pressure cooking eliminate lectins?
Pressure Cooking. If you have to cook with beans (beans wreak havoc on your gut if not cooked properly), tomatoes, or potatoes for whatever reason, your best bet for destroying the lectins is a pressure cooker. ... That said, pressure cooking can do a pretty good job with certain veggies and legumes.
How can lectins be reduced?
Grains can also be boiled to reduce lectin content. Think about quinoa, rice and barley — boiled first, then eaten, right? Fermenting and sprouting foods can also help reduce lectin content. Friendly bacteria in the fermentation process digests the anti-nutrients, and can reduce lectins by up to 95 percent.
Why lentils, tomatoes, and potatoes make you weak. Some Bulletproof Diet recommendations are based on the presence of lectin in foods. ... This is because lectins are tied directly to inflammation and autoimmune reactions in your body. Lectins are a form of protein found in nearly all plants and animals.
What is lectin used for?
Purified lectins are important in a clinical setting because they are used for blood typing. Some of the glycolipids and glycoproteins on an individual's red blood cells can be identified by lectins. A lectin from Dolichos biflorus is used to identify cells that belong to the A1 blood group.
Dr. Steven Gundry, who popularized the lectin-free diet, is a fraud. His book, the plant paradox, reads like an elaborate joke upon the gullible public - refined grains are good for you, whole grains are bad for you etc. I suspect the whole thing got made up on a dare from some fellow MDs.
nutritionstudies.org/the-pl...
"Many of his references do not offer any support for the statements he makes in the text or are misrepresented.
Pg 4 – a reference to support a statement about egg yolks and shellfish “dramatically” reducing cholesterol shows that some types of shellfish led to lower cholesterol levels compared to consuming other animal proteins. There’s nothing about egg yolks in the study.
Pg 21 – The longer you’ve been eating lectins, the longer you’ve been producing gut bacteria to inactivate them, so he says. This seems like a reasonable statement, and quite possibly true, but his supporting citation points a study that shows that a gluten free diet leads to less beneficial bacteria and more harmful bacteria. This supports a general contention that food determines gut bacteria, but nothing about lectins specifically. It’s also an odd choice to reference an article that shows that avoiding wheat, barley, and rye leads to more harmful bacteria for a book that is about to recommend that these grains be avoided.
Pg 24 – “Some lectins disrupt transmissions between your cells…” He references a lengthy paper that offers a review of the workings of a large, complex part of the immune system. Interestingly, the body of the paper does not contain the word “lectin.”
Pg 38 – “Lectin avoidance… as reported in the scientific literature has been found to cure autoimmune diseases” The reference is for another abstract from a conference, with no possibility of even getting the abstract online. This is “scientific literature”?!
Pg 43 – Perhaps the most humorous of all the random references comes at the end of a long laundry list of seemingly definitive, alarming claims about what wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) does. There are no references for any claims until the end of this list, where he claims WGA “Contributes to the development of nephritis, or kidney inflammation.” There is a citation for a paper where researchers simply were documenting how some lectins stain kidney tissue. It has absolutely nothing to do with lectins causing nephritis or kidney inflammation. It’s as if the author did a search for the words “lectin” and “kidney” and just randomly picked a paper that popped up.
Pg 73 – A claim about germ-free mice being shorter and smaller and living shorter lives points to a reference that shows that low-fiber (and presumably lower lectin) diets deplete the diversity of the microbiome over several generations. Not only is the reference not at all supportive of his claim, it actually suggests that if people follow his diet, they may do harm to themselves.
And this is just a few example from the first couple chapters. "
So...the'heathy' vegetarian diet I've been on for years, may have played a big role in my getting PD. This is very upsetting. I should have just eaten pasta every day instead of greens, smoothies, fish, nuts, beans, & berries.
I doubt that it's that simple.
Kia, what is left to be eaten??? Most of the legumes contain L-DOPA! Personally, I include them in our diet every day . Yes, I soak them in water all night having added baking soda before I cook them the next day in extra virgin oil and diced tomatoes . I didn't even know what lectins are/were until I heard about this Dr. Gundy.
I don’t follow the Lectin free diet myself. The article was interesting to me so I shared it to see other members views.
Kia, What diet do you follow ?
StudioV
Soft- ketogenic diet + intermittent fasting everyday + no gluten
Thanks! What do you mean by soft keto? Also, your intermittent fasting...eating only during certain hours or limiting calorie intake every day?
I donot eat from 6PM till tomorrow 1PM but drink a cup of bulletproof coffee in the morning and hydrate myself with enough water. I only eat within 5 hours a day.
Soft ketogenic diet is not strict . I take some carbohydrates for dinner (mostly rice).
Plenty of vegetables but no fruits (only berries) . No refined sugar . No gluten, No bread.
Hi, I’m wondering if you are still intermittent fasting? It’s been 2 years since your post. Just wondering. I have recently started intermittent fasting myself.
Hi, Not any more but no dairy, no gluten, no sugar is intact.
Hi, I too am no dairy, no sugar, no gluten. I am presently no grains at all but hope to resume grains in limited quantities. Would you mind sharing why you stopped fasting? I have been learning more about autophagy which is what compelled me to start. I am thinking of eliminating lectins. Have you tried this? I appreciate your sharing your experience and wisdom. I am new on this journey.
Hi, Because of loosing weight I stopped intermittently fasting. I have no experience with lectins.
What is "paraquat" exposure?
Exquisitely important. Thank you.
Thank you for this post. I happened upon it when researching whether or not I should eliminate lectins. Very informative. Thank you.
Fasting & Dietary Strategies as Parkinson's Therapies
Brain Food for Parkinson's Patients (from Michael Fox site)
Desulfovibrio... More than a glimpse of hope
