Antinutrients
Lectins
Prolamins and agglutinins - The dietary lectins that cause health problems
Prolamins and agglutinins: The dietary lectins that cause health
problems
The only two classes of lectins known to be problematic
for human health
1. Prolamins (high-content of
proline and glutamine amino acids)
What harm do prolamins cause in the body?
Can cause inflammation / damage to intestinal wall,
immune system modulation, alter gut microbiome (dysbiosis);
Which foods contain high levels of prolamins?
Prolamins are prevalent in grains.
They include:
• Gliadin.
The digestive-troubling half of gluten (the other 50% is glutenin),
responsible for digestive problems in those with celiac disease;
Gliadin is in wheat, rye, barley, triticale; there are 3 gliadin groups: α/β-gliadins, γ-gliadins,
and ω-gliadins
Wheat seed is 2.8% - 8.8% gliadin
( ~40% of its 7-22% protein). Although refined wheat products contain
less wheatgerm agglutinin (WGA) than unrefined wheat, they still contain a substantial
amount of gluten:
• All-Purpose Flour.
3.2% - 4.4% gliadin (~40% of its 8% -11% protein); hard/soft
berry blend; bleached flour has less protein/gluten/gliadin than unbleached
flour.
• Bread flour .
4.8% - 5.6% gliadin (~40% of its 12% - 14% protein ); hard high-protein
wheat; unbleached;
• Zein.
In corn;
• Hordein.
In rye;
• Avenin.
In oats, but generally in very small amounts in
rolled oats (unless cross-contaminated with other grains)
2. Agglutinins
What harm do agglutinins cause in the body?
Can cause inflammation and damage to intestinal wall;
Have ability to clump red blood cells together
(i.e. agglutinate);
Which foods contain high levels of agglutinins?
GMO wheat, corn and soybeans are "designed" to have higher amounts
of agglutinins in seed coats (increases crop
yield by countering fungal infections) ;
Agglutinins are prevalent in wheat germ ,
peanuts, cashews, kidney beans and soy beans;
•
Concentration of agglutinins in different types of legumes
varies dramatically. They can be reduced
in most beans by soaking PLUS high-heat boiling; However, wheat germ agglutinin
(WGA) and agglutinins in soybeans, peanuts and kidney beans resist the degradation
of their agglutinins by traditional food preparation
methods.
• Refined
wheat germ contains less WGA than unrefined. However,
several wheat products still contain some active WGA:
Wheat-Derived Products
WGA μg/g (±SD)
Reference Source
Wheat germ
300 (±35)
Vincenzi et al.; 2000 [Ref ]
Wheat germ 100-500 Peumans and Van Damme, 1996 [Ref ]
Flour *
4.3 (±0.7)-4.4 (±1.0)
Wholemeal flour *29.5 (±2.5)-50 (±5.5)
Pasta * (uncooked)
≤ 0.4 (±0.2)-3.2 (±0.2)
Pasta (cooked) *
≤ 0.3 (±0.2)
Wholemeal pasta (enriched with wheat
germ } (uncooked)40 (±2.7)
Wholemeal pasta (enriched with wheat
germ ) (cooked)Not detectable
Wholemeal pasta * (uncooked)
0-5.7(±0.2)
Wholemeal pasta * (cooked)
Not detectable
Breakfast cereals * (assessed by hemagglutination and bacterial agglutination
assays)
13-53
Nachbar et al., 1980
PubMed Ortega-Barria et al., 1994 [PubMed ]
* values obtained from multiple products and different manufacturers
Karin de Punder et al, The Dietary Intake of Wheat
and other Cereal Grains and Their Role in Inflammation, Nutrients Mar 2013 5930;
771-787
PubMed
