Do Lectins In Grains Contribute To Obesity?
Miguel Carrera posted a link to an interesting article in the comments of my recent post on whole grains. Published in BioMed Central, it is titled Agrarian diet and diseases of affluence – Do evolutionary novel dietary lectins cause leptin resistance? I found it to be a very interesting and informative study, so I decided to pull it out of the comments and post on it. I’m pulling out some key excerpts, but there is much more in the paper, along with additional context.
This paper looks at “the prevalence of diseases of affluence, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes type 2, between agrarian and non-agrarian societies,” using staple foods of the diet as the dividing line.
The diet of an agrarian society is based on large amount of seeds from grains such as cereals (e.g. wheat, rice, maize). Cereals are per definition rare or absent in a non-agrarian diet. Non-agrarian societies can be further divided into hunter-gatherer and horticultural societies. The diet of a hunter-gatherer society is based on hunting, fishing and gathering wild plants and insects. Hunting and gathering is thought to represent the original mode of life common to all prehistoric humans during the Palaeolithic (i.e. the Old Stone Age 2.6 million-10, 000 years ago). Horticultural societies obtain the bulk of their food from gardening, which sometimes implies heavy dependence on a single starchy cultivar such as a root crop (e.g. manioc).
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Moreover, when people living in non-agrarian societies migrate to an agrarian society or when their own society becomes agrarian they contract diseases of affluence, which illustrates the general rule that there is no genetic protection against diseases of affluence, only genetic variation in degree of susceptibility.
It’s easy to see why cereals make up little to none of the caloric intake of non-agrarian societies. The calories obtained from the small amounts of grains found in the wild do not offset the caloric energy required to process them. Remember that humans cannot just grab hold of wheat or any other grass and chow down on the grains. You can also see an overall decrease in height, as well as degradation in markers of health, in the fossil record at the time that humans settled into civilizations, fueled by grains. The lack of all essential vitamins in the grains results in diseases such as pellagra and beri-beri when the grains aren’t properly treated, such as by nixtamalization by the Aztecs.
Since nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution [16], we look at the cereal component of human diet from an evolutionary perspective.
Ahhh…if only more researchers felt this way we wouldn’t be living with a dietary pyramid based on all the wrong foods.
…there is a subclass of lectins only found in grasses like cereals. Many plant lectins are thought to play a role in the plants defence against being eaten. Accordingly, plant lectins have an obvious preference for binding to sugar structures of animal, fungal or microbial origin, and are usually at highest concentrations in plant parts essential for reproductive success such as seed germs. …Thus, lectins are present in our food, they are heat-stable and resistant to breakdown in the gastrointestinal tract, they bind to the surface epithelium of the digestive tract and they can lead to anti-nutritional, mild allergic or other subclinical effects in humans and animals. …Hence, lectins have sufficient properties to affect the leptin system indirectly, through effects on metabolism central to the proper function of the leptin system, and possibly also directly through interaction with leptin or the leptin receptor.
So it seems possible that beyond the mere caloric value of the foods we’re eating, other factors in the food can influence hormonal systems, pushing us towards obesity. The authors go on to describe the possible direct interaction between lectins and the leptin receptors or some other indirect methods through which lectins could affect leptin resistance.
It all comes back to the fact that grains are not a food that the human animal is built to consume in any large quantities, at least not without some work to ferment or sprout them. Our modern extruded processed grains are extremely detrimental to health. From lectins to gluten, there are plenty of ways that grains disrupt your system. I promise anyone that if they ditch the grains from their diet and replace them with fruits and vegetables, their health will improve markedly.
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This is astonishing! absolutely amazing. It makes perfect sense to me and history proves it. Got to come back and go deeper into the paper. Is that the link to the full paper at top of article? If not please shoot me link / URL
Thanks-i’ll be back soon
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Thanks so much for this. Lectins are one of the bad guys that people who have MS are advised to keep away from (if you are interested in diet as a way to help control inflammation).
There’s an advert here in the UK, for a snack food.
The tagline is ‘part of the your daily wholegrain’, which makes me shake my head in both sadness and amazement.
Someone, somewhere has decided that wholegrains are an essential nutrient.
Historically, when man started to cultivate cereals, the field size would have been very small, so cereals would have been a small part of the diet, probably mostly going to feed livestock through the winter.
Your last sentence sums it all up so well.
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Where is Tony the Tiger lately? He told me cereal was GREEEEEEAAAAAAATTTTTTTT! Oh wait….he has diabetes and autoimmune disorders now….poor Tony.
Lectins are bad…especially when it comes to Leaky Gut (did a post on Leaky Gut here: http://projectfit.org/iflifeblog/2008/03/19/is-your-gut-leaking-what-to-do-about-it/)….as once you get that condition it can run havoc in the body and has been linked to ohhhhh….Diabetes, Cancers, MS, Autism, ADD, Autoimmune disorders, Arthritis, IBS, Chrons, Dental issues, Psoaris…and the list goes on and on. I truly believe all our main health issues start in the gut…and lectin is not a friend. (hence why nightshades are an issue in arthritis….the lectins let loose in the body and our immune system attacking our own tissues…not good)
Great post! I see a gold star in your future!…or perhaps a “spotlight”?
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Bill, that should be the entire paper.
Nibbler, I didn’t know that about MS…learn something new everyday. I bet the people that decided whole grains are essential nutrients, to the point that they nudge out fruits and vegetables as the base of our government nutrition guidance, are the same people that benefit from their huge sales.
MOD, you mean I could really get a gold star!? It’ll be just like grade school when I came home with papers with a gold star and a smiley and hung them on the fridge. I was unaware that lectins were implicated in all of those myriad diseases as well. It does fit though with why those diseases are so prevalent today though when it’s unlikely that Grok (Sorry to steal that name MDA!) ever came down with Crohn’s.
Cheers
Scott
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixtamalization
Nixtamalization
What a great word to add to my vocabulary. I hadn’t seen it before, though I was familiar with the processing needed to reduce the problems with untreated corn grain.
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Great study, thanks for posting. In the process of reading it.
Sort of an aside and for those trying to claim people evolved eating vegetable protein, here is an article about 14,000 year old human coprolites found in an Oregon cave.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080404/ap_on_sc/fossil_feces;_ylt=AgEKjnMR47JRZznvm1YZy0lxieAA
A quote, “While the analysis is not yet complete, he said there are bones of squirrels, bison hair, fish scales, protein from birds and dogs and the remains of plants such as grass and sunflowers.”
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This is great, it may explain why certain non-industrialized agricultural societies that eat a lot of starch don’t get the “diseases of civilization”. Maybe as long as you’re nice and sensitive to leptin, carb is not so bad.
I noticed that they mention sourdough fermentation lowers the lectin activity of grains. Score one for Weston Price!
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Great article, always good to see a backup of what we already know and feel through avoiding grains. I am considering introducing some ezekiel bread (sprouted stuff from http://www.foodforlife.com/) I have never tried it but its supposed to be very good and has a GI of 38, will definitely hit my nut butter sandwich cravings.
Anyway great blog, keep foraging!
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Let us know what you think of Ezekiel bread. I’ve tried a couple products but don’t buy it anymore. I was hoping to use the tortillas because sandwich wraps are so convenient, but the tortillas became very brittle in a short time. The bread with the lowest carb count had soy, which I avoid. So I couldn’t find any of their products that fit my needs (which I realized are rather more stringent than most people’s). My son is the only one who eats bread anymore so I found a local bakery that makes a sprouted 7-grain (reduces the wheat content) flourless bread, made with just the sprouted grain, water, yeast, sea salt, and I think a bit of honey to feed the yeast.
I’d really like to get my son completely off bread, too (there’s no reason he needs it and perhaps there’s even more good reason not to consume it), but for now, it’s in a “compromise” position. He’s off cereal except for occasional sprouted whole groats and some quinoa. Of course, he eats junk carbs at his friends’ houses but even that is minimal in the scheme of things. Total consumption is still relatively low.
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Catchy title. Rolls off the tongue.
As for grains… Well, I wouldn’t advocate living off processed supermarket “plastic” bread, but the French and Italians get through decent amounts of good bread and in the latter case large amounts of pasta and they seem reasonably healthy in aggregate to me. My question is whether the lectin effect is large enough NOT to be swamped by other dietary and health factors. I’ll continue to enjoy pasta with sauces made from organic ingredients in my kitchen and freshly baked quality bread from my oven or that of a quality baker. I can’t worry about everything in life.
For me, by far and away the main thing is eating whole foods that have been subjected to minimal processing that are, whenever possible, organic.
Dan
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Yes, the French and the Italians are better off than the Americans in many health scores, but it’s not like they don’t have some degree of illness from the grains they eat, they’re just less sick than Americans. I’m not sure I would use their example as a justification for much grain intake, especially un-sprouted/un-soaked and ground up.
Also, despite the frequency of the bread and pasta in those diets, the total amount and % is much smaller than in American diets or Americanized versions of “Mediterranean” diets. A serving of pasta is 2 ounces (dry) and that is very close to the amount Italians serve for the pasta course. I *never* see Americans eat a 2 ounce serving of pasta. I often see some eat 1/3 to 1/2 a pound or more in one sitting with little else to slow the fast glucose absorption (fat/protein). American restaurant portions of pasta are often especially large. I’ve never eaten in any restaurant in France where more than one small roll/bread per person was served. No one “pigs out” at the bread basket like we do in the US.
I have additional reasons to avoid starchy foods like grains. I used to bake a lot of bread, pizza, and make my own pasta so I’m no stranger to how lovely those foods can be
. But my blood glucose regulation is impaired and I manage it with a LC diet; I keep sugars and starches to an absolute minimum. If I hadn’t done that a few years ago, I’m very certain I would have T2 diabetes already. It’s probably a genetic predisposition (not helped at all by my bread and pasta making), as I am not overweight (about 20% of diabetes are not overweight or are thin). I think my BG has been moving up slowly for more than 15 years. I didn’t know this until I was first pregnant with my son ten years ago (halfway through the pregnancy high BG was discovered with a glucose tolerance test; then I controlled my BG with a LC diet, but by that time, his pancreas and other organs are already well developed in utero). But I was told the high BG was due to pregnancy hormones and would go away. Years later I realized that my BG was still not normal and was in fact, getting worse.
So in addition to possibly having the same genetic tendencies I have, my son has an additional risk of developing a version of T2 diabetes from epigenetic influences in utero (gestational diabetes is a major risk factor for future diabetes for both mother and child). That’s why I manage the bread issue with him as I do. I feel it’s better to guide him in childhood to a way of eating that is healthier for him in the long term, rather than him having to make a huge dietary adjustment in adulthood if/when his glucose control starts to fail. Perhaps with a life-long diet that doesn’t tax his BG regulation/insulin production, it might never become impaired. And there is nothing nutritionally in those high starch grain foods that can’t be obtained from a non-starchy source.
At age nine, he’s thriving (with natural athletic ability and excellent balance, especially) and eats a much more varied and nutrient-dense diet than most of his peers. He gets along fine without crackers, chips and pretzels; juice/soda; sugary candies; processed breakfasts cereals; pasta; and doughy breads at home. It’s not like he has no “fun” foods, though. He eats pizza and pasta at his friends’ houses (though I am noticing he sometimes turns pure “junk” down lately) so we don’t have a total ban – we just don’t have it at our home or at restaurants. He loves very dark chocolate, our homemade chocolate truffles, homemade ice cream, baked egg custards, Crema di Mascarpone, grain-free coconut cookies, even unflavored sparkling mineral water. He thinks the smoothies I make are better than the ones from the smoothie shop. It’s really nice to eat with a kid who is quickly growing out of “kid” food.
I don’t know if the lectin is a big issue in small quantities of grain in the long run, but I do think the less grain the better (especially if it isn’t sprouted or is not in the whole kernal). With no grain, lectin is a non-issue.
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This paper by Staffan Lindeberg’s team is the first paper, to my knowledge, to address leptin resistance as a possible consequence of consuming whole grains.
Lindeberg is a swedish doctor, author of the famous Kitava Study, and he has written some papers with Loren Cordain. You can get it at:
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/published_research/
I think it is also woth looking at his website:
http://www.staffanlindeberg.com/Home.html
I’ve been reading all I can find on Paleo type Diets, and I’ve read all the work from Cordain, and I think Cordain is one of the foremost experts on lectins. He has 2 papers available at his website (http://www.thepaleodiet.com/published_research/), where he addresses lectins and auto-immune diseases:
Cordain L, Toohey L, Smith MJ, Hickey MS. Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis. Brit J Nutr 2000, 83:207-217.
Cordain L. Cereal grains: humanity’s double edged sword. World Rev Nutr Diet 1999; 84:19-73.
- this two last papers are two of the best papers I’ve read in my life
And if you go on http://www.direct-ms.org/presentations.html
you’ll see a lecture by Cordain on Paleo Diet and MS, and if you browse the website, you’ll get an article on darwin and MS (based on Cordain’s theories, and the author says that he has a son with MS that doesn’t have any symptoms, since he has adopted a diet with no grains, dairy, and legumes:
http://www.direct-ms.org/publishedpapers.html
In this website, you also have a lot of information interesting for those who follow this paleo diet lifestyle:
http://www.direct-ms.org/journalarticles.html
And if you go back to Loren Cordain’s website (http://www.thepaleodiet.com/published_research/), you can get his small paper on peanut lectin and Atherosclerosis:
Cordain L. Atherogenic potential of peanut oil-based monounsaturated fatty acids diets. Lipids 1998; 33:229-30.
An his last newsletter addresses the topic of lectins in coronary heart disease:
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/newsletter/back_issues.shtml
And I was informed by a friend, that Cordain is conducting a human study on wheat lectin and peanut lectin, so let’s see what comes ou of it.
Miguel
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Anna – an interesting and sensible response. I understand the points you are making about the potential harmfulness of grains when ingested in volume but not being American and not living in the US I wasn’t actually thinking of US portions when I wrote. A typical serving for me personally would be 80-100g of pasta as a main meal, with no starter and no dessert or a small helping of fruit.
My view is that if you eat *anything* in the quantities I have seen many people eat in the US you’re going to have health problems. (I find the size of soft drink cups especially surprising.)
As for individual health issues, I agree that it makes complete sense for you and your family to avoid any other food that you suspect or know to be the cause of medical problems. And I am not saying that one cannot enjoy life without bread and pasta: again, this is a personal choice.
I have to the best of my knowledge no dietary intolerance issues and so I plan to keep eating my pasta and to a lesser extent my bread because I like them and I consider the health risk to be small. Had I never eaten either I would not miss them, naturally!
Finally, on the “the French/Italians are just less sick” argument my response is basically a shrug of the shoulders. Less sick and enjoying great food sounds like a good compromise to me. My aim is to achieve a balance between good health and pleasurable eating, while actively avoiding those foodstuffs that are unambiguously dangerous.
I drink wine and beer, for example, even though I am fairly sure that if I didn’t drink either I would live longer. That’s a conscious trade-off that I make because I enjoy certain aspects of drinking alcohol. What it boils down to is that while I have an active interest in diet and nutrition I have neither the time nor the energy to get obsessive about every single item that passes my lips. As noted previously, my first and major line of defence is to avoid heavily processed foods and use as much organic foodstuff as possible.
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I know the Best Bet Diet very well, it being for MS.
It is based upon Roger McDougall’s experience of being pretty much paralysed by MS and how removing gluten and saturated fats from his diet helped him to pretty much conquer it.
The Best Bet Diet has been formulated by Dr Ashton Embry – he’s a geologist though, not an MD.
Personally, I try to stick to more a more Cordain’s Paleo diet, as I have to eat low-carb. My particular metabolic profile seems to be very like Anna’s.
Without this diet, I know I’d be diagnosed as a type2 diabetic. I don’t entirely buy the low saturated fats argument though. I think that fats have an important role to play in MS.
Beyond Vegetarianism is a great website, which also has a long interview with Loren Cordain.
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“My aim is to achieve a balance between good health and pleasurable eating, while actively avoiding those foodstuffs that are unambiguously dangerous.”
I heartily agree!
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If you see Embry’s articles and recommendations, you’ll see that he doesn’t think (neither does Cordain) that saturated fats are involved in MS (I believe this was, originally, a misinterpretation of the literature).
Further down the text, you can see the explanation.
I’m not an expert on saturated fats, so I won’t take part in that discussion, but I’ve been reading a lot about auto-immune diseases, because I was diagnosed with RA, and I’m very well, without symptoms, since I eat a paleo type diet, with tubers. I also supplement with a Multivitamin/mineral formula, high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids (around 3 grs of EPA+DHA), 1600 UI of Vitamin D, glutamine, Prebiotic and Probiotic to correct leaky gut.
Regards
Miguel
MS and Fats – A Balancing Act
By Ashton Embry
The Swank Research & Diet
The role of fats in MS has been passionately debated for over 50 years. It all began over 50 years ago when Dr. Roy Swank published a paper in 1950 claiming that saturated fat was an important factor in MS. Saturated fat is one of four main types of fat which also include monounsaturated fat, omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and omega 6 PUFA. Swank supported his thesis with observations that populations that consumed high amounts of saturated fat had the highest rates of MS. He documented that farm-dwelling, meat-eating Norwegians had two to three times the rate of MS compared to their coastal, fish-eating cousins. Swank hypothesized that saturated fat caused MS by forming micro-emboli in capillaries in the brain and these resulted in CNS tissue degeneration.
Swank conducted a 40-year clinical trial to test the effectiveness of a “low fat†diet for MS. Swank uses the term “fat†only for saturated fat and he refers to the three unsaturated fat types as “oilsâ€. He advised trial participants to eat less than 20 g of saturated fat a day and to increase their oil consumption, including the use of a cod liver oil supplement. Some of the participants did not follow the advice and consumed much more saturated fat. They became the “controls†for the study. The persons eating the low saturated fat/increased oils diet did much better than those who did not. They had much less disease progression and much longer life spans. Based on these results, a low saturated fat diet has been recommended for persons for MS in many self help books and even a few neurologists quietly suggest such a regimen.
The Role of Polyunsaturated Fats in MS
In the 1970s there was great interest in the possible value of increased polyunsaturated fats for MS and a few small clinical trials were done using either omega 6 PUFA (mainly sunflower oil) or omega 3 PUFA (mainly fish oil). These trials were inconclusive and the medical community lost interest in the role of fats in MS and their potential use as therapeutic agents. Over the past 30 years there have been a few epidemiological studies that suggest that fats may indeed play a role in MS, although an analysis of the huge Nurses database by Harvard scientists did not indicate any relationship between fat intake and MS occurrence.
Types of Fat & Immune Response
So do one or more fat types play a role in MS? MS is an inflammatory, autoimmune disease in which myelin-sensitive immune cells are inappropriately activated and are not sufficiently suppressed to prevent damage to myelin. Importantly, it has been demonstrated that the various types of fat have different influences on immune cells by either promoting or suppressing inflammatory immune reactions. This indicates that fats certainly have the potential to be involved in MS. The research shows that both omega 6 and omega 3 PUFA regulate the immune system and affect both the inflammatory side and the suppressor side.
Omega 6 PUFA (found in mainly in vegetable oils) tend to have more effect on the inflammatory side than do omega 3 PUFA. However one omega 6 fatty acid found in evening primrose oil and some other oils such as borage and blackcurrant – gamma linolenic acid – gets around this problem by starting later on in the conversion process of fatty acids and is therefore not pro-inflammatory.
Omega 3 PUFA found mainly in fish oil and a few other sources (flax, canola) have much more anti-inflammatory capability than do omega 6 PUFA. Thus the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 consumed influences one’s anti-inflammatory response. Curiously there are no data to indicate that saturated fats have any noticeable effect on the immune system. Finally, monounsaturated fats (e.g. olive oil) are mildly anti-inflammatory.
Proportions of Fats Eaten Today
As discussed in my last column, the nutritional factors involved in MS are those that have been introduced into the human environment through the agricultural, industrial and technological revolutions. Although the overall amount of fat consumed has not changed very much, the proportions of the four main fat types being consumed in the developed Western world today are very different from those consumed by our Paleolithic ancestors. These societies eat much more omega 6 PUFA and saturated fat and much less omega 3 and monounsaturated fat. Notably some of the omega 6 PUFA in many baked products has been chemically changed to trans fatty acids that may also contribute to inflammation. Such a significant change in fat intake decreases a person’s anti-inflammatory responses and this contributes to the promotion of inflammatory diseases such as MS.
Ratios of Types of Fats
Given the above, it is very likely that fats play a role in MS onset and progression by decreasing anti-inflammatory capacity. Persons with MS or anyone wanting to lower their risk of MS would be wise to adopt the fat intake ratios of the Paleolithic. The most important ratio seems to be omega 6 / omega 3 which is currently estimated to be 10 –20. This starkly contrasts with the much lower Paleolithic ratio of 1-2. The Paleolithic ratio for monounsaturated/ saturated was 2-3 which is higher than that of today (>1).
Given these ratios, more omega 3 PUFA and monounsaturated fat and less omega 6 and saturated fat are required. 70 to 80 grams of total fat (720 kilocalories/ 35% total energy) is a reasonable daily intake. To achieve a proper balance of fat types the suggested amounts of the four fat types are
• 40g of monounsaturated fat
• 18 g of saturated fat
• 14 g of omega 6 PUFA
• 8g of omega 3 PUFA (mainly from fish oil)
• Trans fats, a product of the recent technological revolution, should be completely avoided.
With this understanding, it appears the main problem with a high intake of saturated fat for MS is that it tends to preclude an adequate intake of omega 3 PUFA and monounsaturated fat. Also, PUFAs compete and lose against saturated fat in the metabolic process. Swank’s recommendations of reducing saturated fat and increasing the oils had a beneficial effect because they led to a reasonable approximation of a Paleolithic balance of fat types and this in turn decreased inflammatory reactions. He was right for the wrong reason.
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Oh yes, I totally agree.
That is an excellent explanation of the diet-for-MS theory.
I have been thinking about Pufas and the old recommendations from the 1960s about Evening Primrose Oil, which of course is an Omega 6 oil.
People with MS are still taking large amounts of this every day, in the perhaps mistaken idea that it helps to reduce inflammation.
I did go and re-examine the Swank diet and was shocked at the amount of grains that were recommended.
It seemed to be encouraging people to stuff themselves with bread, whilst limiting all oils, even fish oils.
Though, some people seem to do well on this diet.
Just like so many others, it’s never a ‘one size fits all’ solution.
A fact that many GPs and specialists seem to be unable to comprehend.
Just this week, I had to discuss a problem with a practice nurse and she said rather sternly, ” how do you KNOW you don’t have diabetes”
To which, I replied that I controlled my blood sugars by limiting carbohydrates and she looked horrified.
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Anna, you must be doing something right because your son looks very healthy (in the picture on your blog). Great skin, a well-developed chin and a healthy sense of mischief. I think Weston Price would approve. You don’t have to answer this, but I’m just curious, has he ever had a cavity?
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Hi Sasquatch,
Thanks!
It’s funny you should ask about cavities. Gabriel has classmates who had *crowns* by 1st and 2nd grade because of so many cavities/fillings!
No cavities for Gabriel yet, but he has the worst tooth brushing habits! While I do encourage him in good oral hygiene habits, but I don’t micromanage them for him. That’s his responsibility now. I put my efforts into growing strong teeth from the inside out (keep your fingers crossed for me) with good food. I do send him three times a year for tooth cleanings (myself, too) and I stopped all fluoride for the family about two years ago. Our local water is not currently fluoridated, though there are rumblings that it might start soon.
We are looking into orthodontics, though. My son sucked his thumb until nearly kindergarten and has an overbite as a result. My husband also has an overbite and dental alignment problems that were only partially corrected with orthodontics in his late 30s – he chose not to do the surgical jaw-breaking procedure (his mom says he was a “dummy” sucker (pacifier user” until age 4 when the milk-man shamed him into throwing it away).
I hadn’t any clue of the WAPF and palate/arch/dental stuff when it might have made a bigger difference in Gabriel’s teeth, though I was off sugar and grain at least the last third of the pregnancy, but that might not have been early enough. And for a few years afterward I was back to baking lots of bread, still using 1% milk, and making bread custard pudding with stale bread for him until he was about 5 or so. Still, looking back on it, in addition to some food things, perhaps I also should have been more proactive about the thumb sucking, instead of waiting for him to give it up on his own. Hard to say.
We can wait until the early teen years on orthodontics, but we are also considering an earlier phase starting this summer just to pull the top front teeth in to protect them from breaking off if he takes a blow to the mouth. Crowding doesn’t seem to be an issue at this point, but bite alignment is off. I’m still researching all that before deciding what to do. It’s hard to get good info (none of the orthodontists have heard of WAP, of course) and the focus in California is on cosmetics as much as good dental health, naturally. My focus is on function, health, and reducing the chance he’ll knock those two front teeth out, with cosmetic considerations lower on the list. Of course I want him to have a nice smile, but it doesn’t need to be “Hollywood” perfect. The teenagers around here look like rodents to me, thanks to orthodontics
. Gabriel is a pretty active kid – skateboarding, cycling, soccer, but he seems to hurt his hands and legs more, not his face. And his lack of care with toothbrushing may just influence me to not do the early orthodontics phase anyway.
If anyone has any advice or suggestions on this, I’m all ears.
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Miguel, great articles, thanks for the links! The MS stuff is interesting and is all new to me.
Anna and Dan, it is true that we should strive for a balance between good food and good health. Who wants to be one of those CR people that is trying to live to 110, but has no sex drive and has to wear gloves in the summer cause they’re so cold? That said, to me, what most people consider “good food” is usually not all that exciting. I don’t find pasta to be all that great…it just tastes like whatever sauce goes on top of it. I do enjoy a nice crusty bread now and again, but that too is less pleasing to the palate than my mind thinks it will be. Give me a nice lamb leg with a mint marinade and now you’re talking about great food that is also health-supporting.
Anna, sorry to hear your son will need braces. I had them back in high school, but was lucky and only needed them for 17 months, rather than the usual 2+ years most people have them. I recall that every time I had them tightened, the next day at school was taco day. Try eating hard-shelled tacos with teeth that ache!
Great discussion!
Scott
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“Give me a nice lamb leg with a mint marinade and now you’re talking about great food that is also health-supporting.”
If you ever visit Wales – my homeland – then you must take time to eat at one of the rural restaurants that offers real Welsh mountain lamb or mutton that has spent its life nibbling the wild thyme of the local hills. I recommend Plas Bodegroes, the Griffin gastropub near Brecon, Carlton Riverside, Ynys Hir and Llangoed Hall.
Dan
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Well, it’s about time that they’re starting to catch up with Dr. D’Adamo’s work! People should read The Blood Type Diet, Live Right 4 Your Type and his latest work, The Genotype Diet.
We, who follow his programs, already knew this years ago..
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Lectins can be either good or bad depending on the host. The lectin from Helix Pomatia (edible snails) can actually help the immune cells of a blood type A individual detect cancer as most cancer cells are “A” like and go undetected… you will find in studies that Blood type A’s have higher and increased rates of risk of cancer as a whole over other blood types. The lectin in Wheat Germ has an affinity for the sugar Fucus which is the primary carbohydrate found on the Blood Type O antigen. Blood antigens line your whole digestive tract. Type O’s were your original Hunter and Gatherers and it has been speculated that the arise of the Agrarian society caused a mutation which brought about the A blood Type. As stated above..Dr Peter D’adamo has talked and written about the effects lectins have depending on one’s blood type for over 25 years. Here’s a link for lectins if you want more info http://www.dadamo.com/wiki/wiki.pl?action=browse;oldid=Lectin;id=Lectins
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There are lectins in foods.. but most lectins in foods agglutinate all ABO blood types. There are very few lectins in food that are specific for any ABO blood group. So, all this stuff about different lectins in foods for each blood type as described in the blood type diet is bunk.
try doing a search on D’Adamo’s own database as described on the Wikipedia discussion for Blood Type Diet. (search the Lectin database for specificity=”blood group”). You will come up with 6 lectins. and half of those aren’t even food.
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