What does eating a lot of lectins do to the human body? Are lectins dangerous? Are there symptoms of lectin poisoning to watch out for? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The symptoms of lectin poisoning are numerous and varied. The body may respond with inflammation, digestive issues, weight gain, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The human body is meant to fight lectins and the symptoms of lectin poisoning show how your body is doing that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Humans have developed a four-pronged protection from plants\u2019 toxins, including lectins. This defense can look like lectin toxicity symptoms, especially if the body has to fight lectins for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although this system is designed to protect us from the harmful effects of lectins, if we consume too many lectins, they can overwhelm our natural defenses.<\/strong> Are lectins dangerous? They can be in higher quantities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lectins have a multifaceted approach to attack your system, which sheds light on the symptoms of lectin poisoning. Are lectins dangerous? Some of their attacks can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, they work on breaking through the mucosal wall that lines your intestines. Lectins are relatively large proteins (compared to the vitamins, minerals, fats, sugars, and simple proteins that your intestinal cells regularly absorb), and they have to try to squeeze through tight spaces between cells in the mucosal wall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, if your natural defenses are worn thin, the lectins can bind with certain cell receptors to create a chemical compound that opens spaces between the cells to allow the lectins (and other bacteria and toxins) to get through, causing leaky gut syndrome. Once lectins get through your intestinal wall, they can access your tissues, lymph nodes, glands, and bloodstream.<\/strong> As a foreign protein, your immune system naturally attacks them\u2014and you\u2019ll feel the effects via inflammation and other symptoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, lectins are designed to mimic other proteins. This means your immune system can\u2019t tell the difference between the foreign lectins and the body\u2019s own natural proteins and consequently attacks its own proteins.<\/strong> Additionally, different proteins instruct cells to do different actions (e.g. store fat, or attack invading organisms) so mistaking the lectins for another protein can cause your body to follow the wrong instructions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, lectins can bind to certain cell receptors to mimic a hormone or to block a hormone. Hormones are proteins that attach to docking ports on cell walls to instruct the cell on what to do; for example, insulin is a hormone that instructs cells to allow glucose to enter for fuel and store any extra glucose as fat. Hormones naturally leave the dock when they\u2019re done, but lectins bind to these docks and sometimes never leave, meanwhile giving wrong instructions (e.g. chronically storing fat) or blocking the correct instructions. This is one way lectins disrupt communication in the body and you experience lectin toxicity symptoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Lectins Attack<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Lectin Paradox<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n