Do dietary lectins cause disease?

[adreno]

It seems that lectins, combined with some pathogens, are bad news:

But if we all eat lectins, why don’t we all get insulin dependent diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, IgA nephropathy, and peptic ulcers? Partly because of biological variation in the glycoconjugates that coat our cells and partly because these are protected behind a fine screen of sialic acid molecules, attached to the glycoprotein tips. We should be safe. But the sialic acid molecules can be stripped off by the enzyme neuraminidase, present in several micro-organisms such as influenzaviruses and streptococci. This may explain why diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis tend to occur as sequelae of infections. This facilitation of lectins by micro-organisms throws a new light on postinfectious diseases and makes the folklore cure of fasting during a fever seem sensible.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1115436/

Some info on lectins:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-lectins

 

[kisekishiawase]

Whenever i eat legume, grain i get stomach issue though i already soak them i dunno why. Theyre yummy though
It could also caused by enzyme issue but i already take supplement.
I read before lectin could cause GI problem and immune response.
And legume harder to digest.

 

[Martial]

Well Lectins are in virtually everything we eat, however I read before different types of lectin can cause a different reponse as well as being more potentially toxic, others being less harmful in moderation and actually necessary for a healthy functioning immune system. This is pretty interesting thanks for sharing!