If you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, you may be looking for ways to naturally reverse your disease or prevent it from getting worse. Gut health and autoimmunity are closely interconnected, with the gut’s condition often having a significant impact on autoimmune conditions. In today’s article, I will explain several ways lectins impact Gut Health and can be a trigger behind our Autoimmune Diseases.

What Are Lectins

You may have heard about lectins and the role they play in various autoimmune disorders (MS, Rheumatoid arthritis, Autoimmune thyroid disease, Type I Diabetes) many studies are coming forward shedding light on this relationship (*) For many people who have already started eliminating lectins from their diet, they report that by reducing lectins in their diet they have seen a drastic improvement in their health. While some doctors in conventional medicine want to debunk this concept, I am not sold on this quick and eager dismissal. I’ve personally seen the impact that eliminating lectins has on gut health and autoimmune diseases.  We need to remember the saying that One man’s food is another man’s poison!

If you don’t know what lectins are, technically, they are carbohydrate-binding proteins found in animals and plants – simply put they are specialized proteins that allow cells to connect or stick to other cells. While you may not see why this is important just yet, you will see in just a moment why these sticky proteins are such a problem. Surprisingly,  approximately 30% of the food we eat contains lectins so this connection between autoimmune disease and lectins is one we shouldn’t overlook.

Foods Found To Be High In Lectins

Some of the most common high-lectin plant foods include:

• beans
• bell peppers
• cashews
• chickpeas
• corn
• cucumbers
• eggplant
• green beans
• green peas
• Irish potatoes
• lentils
• melons
• oats
• peanuts
• pumpkin
• soy
• squash
• tomatoes
• wheat
• wild rice
• zucchini

Lectins and Gut Health

The lectin you are most familiar with can be found in wheat known as Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA). WGA is primarily found in the germ portion of wheat grains. It can also be detected in other wheat-derived products. Those with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or other wheat-related intolerances often find WGA problematic.

WGA can attach to cells lining the gastrointestinal tract, which may interfere with nutrient absorption or affect gut permeability. This property has led to concerns about its potential to contribute to a “leaky gut” – a condition that might allow substances that shouldn’t exit the digestive tract to enter the bloodstream.

Some studies suggest that WGA can mimic the structure of insulin. Through a process called molecular mimicry, Ingestion of WGA may be an important trigger in type I Diabetes.

Why Lectins Are Problematic For Autoimmune Disease

Many of the problems we see with lectins and autoimmunity come with the consequences lectins have on gut health. Let’s review a few of these lectin-gut autoimmune problems.

The lectins found in wheat, for example, are specifically known to be involved in Celiac disease. The lectins found in wheat, potato, Tomato, and peanuts are involved in Autoimmune thyroid disease and Type I autoimmune diabetes. (*) But that’s not the only autoimmune disease lectins have been implicated with.

Since lectins bind to sugar, the modern high sugar, high lectin diet may be especially capable of fueling chronic inflammation due to lectin binding to sugar molecules in our joints, between our nerve junction, within our myelin sheathes, and between our intestinal cells [*][*]. This may be the connection between lectins and autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimers, MS, and Inflammatory Bowel disease. As we can see lectins have a role in a variety of autoimmune diseases through a variety of different mechanisms.

Additionally, lectins may bind as well to human endometrium, spermatozoa, and ova. An autoimmune reaction against these targets could cause infertility in men or women (*), (*), (*)

Lectins That Have Been Shown To Cause Autoimmune Disease

• Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, Corn, and Rice Wheat germ agglutinin ———>(WGA)
• Red kidney bean———> phytohemagglutinin (PHA)
• Jack bean agglutinin ———>(ConA)
• Peanut agglutinin ———>(PNA)
• Soybean agglutinin ———>(SBA)
• WGA is the best-studied of the cereal grain lectins (*).

This study showed that the administration of WGA to experimental animals caused hyperplastic and hypertrophic growth of the small intestine and pancreas and atrophy of the thymus gland (*)

Lectins Cause Leaky Gut

If you suffer from many food sensitivities, there is a good chance that behind these reactions is a leaky gut. I’ve talked about Lectins and gut health in past articles but as a reminder, lectins have been shown to increase gut permeability and cause a leaky gut. (*)Some of the high lectin-containing foods you are eating are causing a leaky gut.

The epithelial cells in the gut are tipped with finger-like projections called microvilli. When food is digested, these microvilli absorb the nutrients and transport them through the epithelial cell into the bloodstream. Normally, these tight junctions stay closed, and only nutrients are allowed to pass through into the bloodstream.

When this gut barrier begins to break down, the tight junctions become permeable or “open” and allow un-screened molecules through the border and into the bloodstream. Examples of things that can get through in this situation are bacteria, pathogens, yeast, incompletely digested food, lectins, and more.

As this process continues over time, the intestinal lining can become damaged and even leakier, allowing even more “undesirables” through the intestinal wall and directly into the bloodstream. In some individuals, this is the initial trigger behind their autoimmune attack.

Lectins Are Resistant to Digestion.

Lectins are not broken down by stomach acid making them virtually resistant to digestion.(*) Over time as the gut barrier becomes leakier, these lectins could enter our circulation and because they stick to tissues, they can initiate an inflammatory reaction within the gut. Once they enter the bloodstream (thanks to a leaky gut), they can bind to any tissue in the body — thyroid, pancreas, collagen in joints, and Nerve tissue and cause an inflammatory immune attack on any of these tissues.

This binding can disrupt the function of that tissue and cause white blood cells and the immune system to attack the lectin-bound tissue, destroying it. This is an autoimmune response. This is the lectin-leaky gut-autoimmune connection in a nut shell.

 

Lectins Interfere With Nutrient Absorption

Lectins interfere with the absorption of other many essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc and for this reason, lectins are often referred to as anti-nutrients. (*)

By attaching to the membranes of gut epithelial cells, lectins can hinder the absorption of nutrients. They can disrupt the integrity of the gut lining, potentially contributing to increased intestinal permeability, often referred to as “leaky gut.” This disruption may allow substances that are usually confined to the gut to pass into the bloodstream, potentially leading to inflammation or immune responses.

Some lectins can inhibit the activity of digestive enzymes, which could affect the breakdown of food and, consequently, the absorption of nutrients. If enzymes like amylases or proteases are inhibited, carbohydrate and protein digestion can be impaired.

Lectins might bind directly to nutrients in the gut, reducing their bioavailability. This means that the nutrients are bound to the lectins and therefore less available for absorption into the bloodstream.

It’s worth noting that the human diet naturally includes a variety of foods containing lectins, and many people consume them without apparent adverse effects. However, these interactions might be more pronounced in individuals with sensitivities to specific foods or components, such as those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Lectins and Gut Dysbiosis

Lectins also affect our gut health by altering the balance of gut bacteria or causing intestinal dysbiosis (*). When Lectins strip away the mucous layer of the gut they expose our gut mucosa to bacteria, yeast, and potential disease causing pathogens. (*)  This disruption in the mucus layer and the dysbiosis can once again contribute to gut inflammation and intestinal dysfunction.

The last thing I want you to know and I think this is important for people who have a history of ulcers, gastritis, H.pylori, or inflammatory bowel disease is that some Lectins like those found in kidney beans, and cashews also cause an increased release of histamine from gastric Mast cells.

In the gut Mast cells, stimulate gastric cells to secrete hydrochloric acid. In a situation where someone is already dealing with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), an active ulcer, additional acid would be like rubbing sandpaper on a wound.

Lectins Cause Mast Cells To Discharge Histamine

Mast cells are key components of the immune system, located in various tissues, including the lining of the gut. They contain granules filled with histamine and other inflammatory mediators which are released in response to certain stimuli, playing a critical role in allergic reactions and gut homeostasis.  Lectins when they bind to tissues in the gut can cause gastric mast cells to discharge histamine. (*)

Increased histamine can also contribute to symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, and discomfort. Of all the GI-related symptoms reported,  Bloating was the most common symptom among 133 patients (92%) and was observed as the most severe symptom with a severity score of 4.(*)

Here’s an article on Histamine and bloating.

Remember These Facts About Lectins

• Lectins are sticky proteins that bind to carbohydrates
• Lectins can bind to the gut leading to intestinal permeability AKA leaky gut, chronic inflammation, and a release of histamine from gastric cells in the stomach (gastric cells produce hydrochloric acid)
• High lectin foods include legumes, grains, nightshade vegetables, squash, A1 dairy, farm-raised (grain) meat

How Do I Know If Lectins Are A Problem For Me

Something I want to be clear about is that not every autoimmune patient has food lectin sensitivities or gut issues including a leaky gut.  This is where testing and working with a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner who looks at the BIG picture can be invaluable. The right testing can help personalize a treatment plan with the hopes of stabilizing your immune system.  

Given the relationship between gut health and autoimmunity, identifying a leaky gut and or lectin sensitivity could be an important strategy when it comes to treating autoimmune diseases. I am often asked, “How do you know if you need to be eliminating lectins, and following a lectin-free diet?” or “How Do I know if I have a Leaky Gut?”

The answer is you don’t!. You can’t look at your symptoms and conclude you have a leaky gut or have a problem with lectins. It often comes down to testing and identifying these offending foods which include lectins and nightshades and then working with a qualified and experienced Functional Medicine Practitioner who specializes in the management of autoimmune diseases.

Testing for lectins and leaky gut includes testing antibodies against lectins and against the tight junctions. These are the proteins that hold intestinal cells together. If you test positive for either or both of these, your treatment plan will center around healing your leaky gut and improving gut barrier integrity.  If you have an autoimmune condition, I believe you owe it to yourself to explore this Leaky Gut-lectin and autoimmunity connection in the overall healing journey to your healthy future.