What are lectins? Should you avoid foods that contain them?
The lectin-free diet is becoming increasingly popular among people who want to lose weight, improve their gut health and digestion. But is it worth it? Should you really be wary of lectin?
The lectin-free diet is becoming increasingly popular with people who want to lose weight, and improve their gut health and digestion. But is it worth it? Should you really be wary of lectin?
What is lectin?
Lectin is a type of plant protein found in almost all foods, especially whole grains, legumes, and nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes).
There are different types of lectin that act differently in the body. Some lectins can make plant foods difficult to digest, while others are thought to stress the body and cause inflammation (although this has not been proven).
Recently, lectin has been portrayed as "bad" due to some claims that it can lead to inflammation, weight gain, unpleasant digestive symptoms, and a "leaky gut." But these anecdotal stories have never been corroborated by published studies.
Little research on lectin
Since the 1970s, some studies have been conducted on lectin, but these are mostly in vitro studies or animal studies that are difficult to translate to human nutrition.
Most of the information we have about lectin is anecdotal – some people have reported that not consuming lectin has allowed them to lose weight, improve their gut health, or reduce digestive problems.
But there are no long-term studies that show how its removal from the diet can have a long-term effect on health. At this point, there is simply not enough research on the lectin-free diet.
However, the Mediterranean diet is supported by extensive research. It is the most studied diet for heart health and other inflammatory conditions. In addition, some of the most consumed foods in the Mediterranean diet are rich in lectin, including whole grains and legumes, and nightshades, such as tomatoes – so it seems that lectin-containing foods must have some health benefits.
The health benefits of lectin-containing foods
Eliminating lectin-containing foods from your diet would mean you would miss out on important nutrients. Here are some examples:
- Tomatoes are rich in lycopene and have been shown to protect the prostate, promote heart health, and contribute to skin health.
- Squash and pumpkin contain a variety of phytonutrients with strong antioxidant activity, and they also appear to be beneficial for the health of the intestinal ecosystem.
- Legumes are a valuable source of protein and offer a variety of phytonutrients. People who consume a large amount of legumes have a low rate of colon cancer. In addition, numerous preliminary studies support the protective properties of legumes on the intestines.1,2
Since lectin is found in foods that are very beneficial for health, it does not make sense to cut these foods out of our diet.
It makes more sense to eat a wide variety of healthy foods and reduce the possible effect of lectin by following these methods:
- Heat destroys lectin. Therefore, be sure to cook your beans, grains, and legumes before eating them.
- Soaking beans or grains in water before cooking can reduce lectin by about 20%.
But there is a way to reduce lectin by up to 99.99%3,4.
Fermentation!
For a long time, Genuine Health has been interested in the incredible process of fermentation. Fermentation releases the nutrients and benefits contained in foods, providing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.5 Fermentation can also offer protective benefits to the gut through bioactive nutrients and postbiotics formed during the fermentation process. (Fermentation can also eliminate lectin.)6
Genuine Health used all these discoveries to market the first fermented protein. fermented organic vegan proteins+ are carefully formulated using 7 protein-rich plant foods, including hemp seeds, brown rice, peas, mung beans, spirulina, flax seeds, and pumpkin – to provide 20 grams of highly absorbable protein with added benefits for gut health through bioactive nutrients and postbiotics.
Yes, you can have your lectin and eat it too!
References:
1 Sanchez-Chino X, et al. Nutrient and non-nutrient components of legumes and its chemopreventive activity: a review. Nutr Cancer 2015;67:401-10.
2 Monk JM, et al. Navy and black bean supplementation primes the colonic mucosal microenvironment to improve gut health. J Nutr Biochem. 2017 Nov;49:89-100
3 Difo VH, et al. Changes in nutrient and antinutrient composition of Vigna racemosa flour in open and controlled fermentation. J Food Sci Technol. 2015 Sep;52(9):6043-8
4 Cuadrado C, et al. Effect of natural fermentation on the lectin of lentils measured by immunological measures. J Food Agric Immunol 2002;14:41-49
5 Gabriele M, et al. A fermented bean flour extract downregulates LOX-1, CHOP and ICAM-1 in HMEC-1 stimulated by ox-LDL. Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2016 Aug 12;21:10
6 Zárate G, et al. Dairy propionibacteria prevent the proliferative effect of plant lectins on SW480 cells and protect the metabolic activity of the intestinal microbiota in vitro. Anaerobe. 2017 Apr;44:58-65