432 What Lectins Do [7 August 2017]

Lectins are proteins in plants designed to protect them from being eaten. Gluten is the best known lectin, but there are hundreds of them found in most plants, including many that we humans use for food. Lectins are not broken down in digestion and only partially destroyed by cooking.

In #430 I explained how lectins cause leaky gut syndrome which leads to inflammation and auto-immune diseases. But that’s not all they do. Lectins also:

• bind to the epithelial cells in the lining of the gut and damage the microvilli where nutrient absorption occurs. This significantly interferes with the absorption of nutrients, especially protein, and can lead to loss of muscle mass.
• bind to the surface of beneficial bacteria in our gut, wiping them out while allowing pathogenic bacteria to proliferate
• interfere with the digestive enzymes in the gut preventing proper digestion of food
• bind to glycoproteins on the surface of cells throughout the body including joints, brain, liver, heart, kidneys; the immune system responds by attacking the organs and tissues affected leading to a variety of auto-immune diseases
• create hyper-sensitivity to foods leading to food allergies; people have found that after being on a low-lectin diet for a year or so their food allergies improve or disappear
• stimulate the release of histamine from mast cells causing an inflammatory response
• suppress the production of T and B lymphocytes reducing the immune system’s ability to protect us from foreign invaders
• cause blood cells to stick together destroying the blood cells and causing blood clots
• block the satiety hormone leptin, resulting in food cravings, over-eating, and obesity [see #327 Leptin Resistance]
• interfere with the body’s ability to regulate insulin and blood sugar levels.
• cause enlargement of the pancreas and atrophy of the thymus
• bind to neurons damaging the nervous system including eyesight
• interfere with the cell nucleus preventing normal reproduction of the cell and accelerating the aging process
• in summary, contribute to most of the chronic conditions that plague mankind!

Sources:
Gregory Barton, Cure Your Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disease, 2010
Evelyn Carmichael, The Essential Handbook to Lectin, 2017

Next week: who would most benefit from a low lectin diet.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

327 Leptin Resistance [13 July 2015]

I have previously written several times about the role of insulin and insulin resistance in weight gain but there is another compound involved called leptin.

Leptin, sometimes called the “satiety hormone”, was discovered in 1994. It is secreted by fat cells and tells our brain that we have enough stored energy. It reduces our appetite and promotes the burning of fat for energy. Leptin resistance occurs when this message is blocked, resulting in food cravings, continued fat storage, and eventually obesity. Leptin resistance can also be a factor in female infertility.

Several factors contribute to leptin resistance:
• excess dietary sugar, especially fructose
• high insulin levels
• high triglyceride levels
• inflammation
• MSG (SHN #135)
• lack of sleep
• stress
• low calorie diets that are not ketogenic (your body thinks it’s starving)

So what can we do to reverse leptin resistance?
• greatly reduce simple carbs and processed foods
• eat adequate protein and healthful fats
• avoid between meal snacks to give your liver a rest
• exercise (but don’t overdo cardio)
• get at least 8 hours of restful sleep
• lower insulin levels (e.g. with a ketogenic diet)

Leptin resistance is recognized as a key risk factor for obesity (Zhou & Rui, 2013). Identifying the causes and taking steps to reverse it will make any weight loss program easier to follow and much more effective. The ketogenic diet we use in our Rosetown weight loss clinic doesn’t specifically address leptin resistance but does indirectly deal with the factors causing it, particularly insulin levels, triglycerides, inflammation and dietary sugar.

Sources:
MindBodyGreen post by Barbara Komorek
Wellness Mama post
WebMD article
Dr. Mercola interview with Dr Richard Johnson
Dr. Richard J Johnson book "The Diet Switch"
Y. Zhou and L Rui technical article Front Med 2013 Jun: 7(2) 207-222

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.