Plant-derived dietary lectins have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and celiac disease. Studies show that the plant lectins act as a “danger signal” that can activate inflammatory mediators.

So, what are plant lectins?

Lectins are naturally occurring proteins found in most plants. Some foods that contain higher amounts of lectins include beans, peanuts, lentils, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, fruits, and wheat and other grains. Clinically, I hear a lot, “if I eat cooked tomatoes not raw I can tolerate them more”. This is likely because cooking the vegetables can breakdown the lectin protein making them less inflammatory to the body.

Research

Dr. Steven Gundry, MD has done a lot of research on how plant lectins affect disease. He found that out of 102 patients that he studied with autoimmune diseases, 95 of them went into complete remission after removing lectins from their diet after 9 months. The other 7 patients all had reduced inflammatory markers in their blood, but they were not in complete remission. And, 80 of the 102 patients were weaned from all immunosuppressive and/or biologic medications without rebound. He did also find most of his patients were low in vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, so supplementation along with probiotics were utilized as well during the 9 months.

I don’t find that once you are diagnosed with an autoimmune disease it has to be a lifetime problem. I find removing plant lectins from the diet as one of the useful tools in bringing patients with autoimmune diseases back to the state of balance and optimal health they deserve.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28087670

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/circ.137.suppl_1.p238

About the author

Since 2005, Dr Fey has helped thousands of women, men, and children find real solutions to their health concerns. She truly believe that giving the proper care and nutrients your body has an amazing ability to heal. She is committed to finding the root cause of illness by utilizing a whole body approach not just focusing solely on presenting symptoms.

Dr. Amanda Fey is the owner and practicing Naturopathic Doctor at Complementary Medicine & Healing Arts, the Southern Tiers Center For Natural Healthcare located in the Binghamton NY area. The office website is www.naturallywell.us. To contact the office call 607-729-0591 or email cmhahealth@gmail.com.