2588: Are Lectins Harmful?

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[00:01:00] It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, episode 2588.

[00:01:05] And I'm Dr. Neil Malek.

[00:01:06] Hey there, happy Friday and welcome to another special Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily,

[00:01:12] where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition, and more.

[00:01:17] You send in the questions and I answer them for you.

[00:01:20] Oh, and if you do send in a question, we'll give you a copy of our Optimal Living Daily

[00:01:25] Workbook for free.

[00:01:26] And I'll tell you how to send in a question right after the Q&A.

[00:01:30] Now quickly, before I get to the Q&A, once a month, usually during the first Q&A episode

[00:01:35] of the month, I mention a bit about my background and credentials so you can better understand

[00:01:40] where my perspectives come from.

[00:01:42] And given this is the first Q&A of the month, it's time.

[00:01:45] Now while I've always been obsessed with Batman, I wasn't always interested in the

[00:01:49] things I talk about on this podcast, nutrition, exercise, health and wellness.

[00:01:54] But being diagnosed with a chronic disease at the age of 19 definitely changed my life's

[00:01:59] purpose.

[00:02:00] It was then I decided to focus my attention on helping others so that no one else had

[00:02:05] to experience a chronic disease diagnosis like I did.

[00:02:09] But to do that, I wanted to be sure I had some credibility.

[00:02:13] This is not meant to be a humble brag, but instead gain your trust and again help you

[00:02:17] understand my perspectives.

[00:02:19] I received both my master's and doctoral degrees in public health.

[00:02:24] And to really cover all of my bases, I also became a registered dietitian nutritionist,

[00:02:29] a certified health education specialist and a certified exercise physiologist to the

[00:02:34] American College of Sports Medicine.

[00:02:36] I've been teaching in higher education for a long time now and I'm currently faculty

[00:02:41] within the California State University system.

[00:02:44] I published peer-reviewed studies, presented at national and international conferences and

[00:02:49] I've been interviewed by over 70 different media outlets for my expertise on basically

[00:02:54] all the things I talk about on this podcast.

[00:02:57] So all of this to say that when I provide my commentary after each episode and answer

[00:03:02] the questions you send in like today, I hope you feel as though it's coming from a place

[00:03:06] of truth.

[00:03:07] My only intention is to help you feel your best.

[00:03:11] Alright and with that, let's finally hear today's question as we optimize your life.

[00:03:21] Now, today's question actually came from a recent discussion we had around the dinner table.

[00:03:27] Some family members came across recent stories about these compounds called lectins and how

[00:03:33] lectins may be harmful to our health.

[00:03:36] Some health experts are saying we should try and avoid lectins in our diet.

[00:03:40] So the question posed at the dinner table was, do we need to avoid lectins or lectin-containing

[00:03:46] foods in our diets?

[00:03:48] Let's discuss.

[00:03:50] First, let's talk about lectins.

[00:03:53] What are they?

[00:03:54] Lectins are found naturally in plant-based foods.

[00:03:57] They're an interesting compound because they're proteins that are bound to carbohydrates.

[00:04:02] I'll give you an example.

[00:04:05] Beans and lentils contain lectins.

[00:04:06] So I'm going to end up mentioning beans and lentils a lot in this episode.

[00:04:11] From a nutrition standpoint, when we consume beans and lentils as part of our diets, we

[00:04:15] count them as both a carbohydrate and a protein.

[00:04:20] Now, beyond beans and lentils, peas, peanuts, soybeans, and even whole grains also contain lectins.

[00:04:27] So if lectins are found in what sound like otherwise nutritious foods, why is there this

[00:04:34] pushback against them?

[00:04:35] Well, it's because some have classified lectins as anti-nutrients.

[00:04:42] Anti-nutrients are a real thing in that they block the absorption of other nutrients like

[00:04:47] iron, zinc, calcium, and phosphorus.

[00:04:50] So what that means is when we consume these foods that contain lectins, they may end up

[00:04:55] blocking the absorption of other vitamins and minerals.

[00:04:59] But when we look at studies examining these anti-nutrients and lectins, we find that they

[00:05:05] were performed in animals and in test tubes, not in actual humans.

[00:05:10] But there were some reported cases where people consuming foods that contained high levels

[00:05:15] of the active form of lectin experienced stomach upset like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

[00:05:22] But these instances are very rare.

[00:05:24] And they are so rare because we hardly ever eat lectin in its most active state.

[00:05:31] Active lectin is what's most important and it's often found in raw foods like raw legumes.

[00:05:38] So this means foods like raw beans and lentils would have high levels of active lectin.

[00:05:45] But very rarely, if ever, do we eat raw beans and lentils.

[00:05:49] We usually soak them, then cook them.

[00:05:52] And it turns out that soaking and cooking beans and lentils and other foods that contain

[00:05:57] lectin helps deactivate it.

[00:06:00] This now makes these foods safe to eat.

[00:06:03] Canned beans, for example, have already gone through this process of soaking and cooking

[00:06:08] so they are naturally low in lectins.

[00:06:10] So depending on how the lectin-containing foods were prepared, there may still be some

[00:06:15] active lectins left.

[00:06:17] But usually, these don't cause us any problems.

[00:06:20] There's just not enough of these leftover active forms of lectin to cause any harm.

[00:06:25] Plus, the body does have specific enzymes that help deactivate any of these leftover lectins.

[00:06:31] The body just can't handle too much at one time.

[00:06:34] Now, there are those that may be more sensitive to lectins like those with irritable bowel syndrome.

[00:06:40] But even for someone with irritable bowel syndrome, they can still eat foods that contain

[00:06:45] lectins, they just may need to watch how much they consume at one time.

[00:06:49] In fact, there are lots of benefits to consuming foods that contain lectins.

[00:06:55] When we think about the foods that are high in them like beans, lentils, peas, peanuts,

[00:07:00] soybeans and whole grains, these are all foods that we discuss fairly often because they

[00:07:06] should be consumed as part of a nutritious diet.

[00:07:09] So avoiding them means we would be missing out on a lot of important foods and nutrients.

[00:07:14] Researchers have found that lectins can act as an antioxidant.

[00:07:18] This means lectins help keep the DNA in our cells healthy and resistant to damage.

[00:07:24] In fact, studies are being conducted that are looking at whether lectins can cause the

[00:07:29] death of cancer cells.

[00:07:31] Lectins may also help prevent diabetes and better manage blood sugar.

[00:07:35] This is because they slow down the body's absorption of carbohydrates.

[00:07:39] Slower absorption of carbohydrates means better controlled blood sugar.

[00:07:44] And again, when we look at foods that contain higher levels of lectins, we find that they

[00:07:48] are often recommended as part of a nutritious diet.

[00:07:51] This is because high-lectin foods like beans, lentils, peas, peanuts, soybeans and whole

[00:07:56] grains contain lots of other beneficial nutrients.

[00:08:00] And lots of human-based studies have found that consuming these foods helps prevent all

[00:08:06] sorts of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and even some forms

[00:08:12] of cancer.

[00:08:13] They may even help with weight management.

[00:08:15] So to quote two very well-respected organizations in the US, the Harvard School of Public Health

[00:08:22] and the Mayo Clinic, quote,

[00:08:25] The health benefits of consuming these high-lectin foods far outweigh the potential harms of

[00:08:30] lectins in these foods.

[00:08:32] End quote.

[00:08:34] The exception to this would be, of course, if someone has an allergy or intolerance to

[00:08:39] these foods.

[00:08:40] But the bottom line is, and to answer my family's dinner table question, no, we do not need

[00:08:46] to avoid lectin-containing foods.

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[00:10:31] All right, now if you want your question answered right here on the show and get a copy of our

[00:10:36] optimal living daily workbook, you can email your question to health at oldpodcast.com.

[00:10:44] Or if you want your voice played and heard in an episode, come by oldpodcast.com slash

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[00:11:08] That's 1-614-568-3643.

[00:11:14] Thank you so much for sending in your questions.

[00:11:16] Answering them is my favorite part of the show.

[00:11:19] All right, that'll do it for another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily.

[00:11:23] Thank you for listening every day and all the way through.

[00:11:25] I hope you have a great start to your weekend.

[00:11:27] And I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.