Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat and grains. Wheat-germ agglutinin (WGA) is a lectin, or another type of protein, that likes to bind to carbohydrates. WGA likes to bind to blood-type sugars, among other carbohydrates, causing a clumping process known as “agglutination” which comes from a German word meaning “sticking together”. When your body sees cells stuck together, it tries to separate them. The process to get rid of the clump often causes inflammation as a byproduct. So, if you ingest these lectins and they start binding to sugars, your body will create inflammatory symptoms trying to get rid of them.
These symptoms can be brain fog, muscle pain, aches, weight control issues, headaches, migraines, or more. Many people find that going gluten-free makes them feel better, but it is not necessarily going gluten-free that helps. Rather, it’s going away from these specific lectins that will lead them to feel better.
These symptoms can be brain fog, muscle pain, aches, weight control issues, headaches, migraines, or more. Many people find that going gluten-free makes them feel better, but it is not necessarily going gluten-free that helps. Rather, it’s going away from these specific lectins that will lead them to feel better.
What about Celiac disease?
Celiac disease is a process where your body makes antibodies to gluten, creating an immune reaction that attacks some of the cells in your digestive tract. Celiac is an autoimmune disease. This is different from sensitivity. The term gluten sensitivity is medically inaccurate and can lead to confusion. For most people, they will start feeling better because by avoiding gluten, they’re primarily avoiding WGAs. There are substitutes for people who want to avoid these lectins, like sprouted bread. The lectin is usually found on the outside of the seed and destroyed during the sprouting process of sprouted bread. Spelt bread is another substitute, which has reduced levels of WGA.
Some people find they won’t have the same reactions overseas, and that’s because of monoculture farming. The USA’s monoculture farming leads to Americans having more proteins in their brain, allowing WGA to have a stronger reaction. Another possibility to consider is that there could be underlying symptoms or causes that aren’t being noticed until inflammation caused by WGAs draws more attention. Just as there can be a “straw that breaks the camel’s back”, there can be one specific symptom that appears to hit hard simply by being the most recent or the largest on top of a pile of symptoms.
This can be especially prevalent in people who remove gluten from their diet for a time and return to it. It seems like a new reaction as opposed to one that has always been there because their body isn’t used to the inflammation caused by the WGA. But what happens when we switch to gluten-free foods?
What does Gluten-Free mean?
Gluten-free foods are generally not good, they are not “more natural”, and certainly not more healthy. Gluten-free means they replaced the gluten with foods like tapioca, potato, or corn which are also inflammatory foods for most people, defeating the purpose of switching. Consumption of wheat-based products with the lectin generally causes digestive symptoms like “leaky gut” or malabsorption. That means particles are able to bypass the thin lining of the digestive tract and interact with the immune system and bloodstream, causing the immune system to go haywire and increase symptoms. There are many types of foods that can “break the camels back”, especially for Type Os. This is why we recommend foods with low to no amounts of the lectin. Knowing where your food comes from, or even making it yourself, makes all the difference.
Diet is important for improving symptoms, but it ultimately comes down to a case-by-case basis, especially if the symptoms are in the digestive system. The digestive system is more than just a furnace, breaking down whatever food is placed inside, contrary to popular belief. The digestive system is a microbiota, a living community of bacteria that can help you heal, make brain chemicals, and digest food. There are different bacteria that can be present in the microbiota that can break down gluten and wheat-based products. Unfortunately, they are less common in the American populace.
So lectins are to blame?
Lectins are interesting, they are all independent of each other. One can be broken down in the stomach, another could be heated up and broken down while cooking, others can be washed off with water – like those on beans, for instance. They all react differently in the body. Not all lectins are bad. Some lectins can be good, and some of the bad ones can be utilized to fight off certain conditions. Specific lectins can be used to increase vitality in the right time or place, but a low lectin diet is recommended.
Dr. Peter D’Adamo is one of the frontrunners of research into the study of lectins. He wrote the Eat Right For Your Type Blood Type Diet books after practicing, teaching and studying for years. In 2013, the American Heart Association confirmed Dr. D’Adamo’s belief from his 1996 book that a high-lectin diet is detrimental to a healthy lifestyle.
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