Lectine Do not panic about legumes, wheat germs and tomatoes

Ingredients of soybeans, legumes and Co: Do ​​not panic about lectins
Fruits and vegetables, legumes and cereal products should be regularly on the menu. But more and more people are worried about a particular ingredient in many of these foods: lectins. However, experts say that you should not panic about it.

Health complaints from lectins
According to experts, certain foods, such as green beans, can not be eaten raw because they contain harmful ingredients such as lectins. Depending on the amount, these proteins can lead to mild stomach upset or intestinal inflammation. In recent years, more and more guides (books, TV programs and health websites) have been working on lectins. But nutrition-conscious consumers really have to be wary of certain food groups?

Foods such as legumes, soybeans, and nuts contain lectins that, under certain circumstances, can damage your health. Nevertheless, you do not have to panic about it. (Image: Lukas Gojda / fotolia.com)

Damage in the intestinal wall
As the Consumer Service Bavaria states in a communication, lectins in nutritional science have long been known substances in plant foods and luxury foods, which the body also forms itself.

These are protein bodies (proteins) with a carbohydrate content. These can cause a clumping (agglutination) of the red blood cells.

For this reason, they are also often referred to as agglutinins or hemagglutinins and can lead to damage in the intestinal wall in a dose-dependent and lectin-specific manner.

According to the consumer service, further diseases are scientifically not confirmed.

Different reactions to heat
The main soybeans, legumes and wheatgermes and, in small quantities, tomatoes, raspberries, nuts and bananas, are predominant.

In equally low quantities they are in wholegrain, onions and potatoes.

Lectins react differently to heat. Therefore, the heating of legumes leads to a strong reduction of the Lektinehaltes. Different wheat lectins, however, are heat stable.

No reason to panic
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Watzl, head of the Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry of Nutrition at the Max Rubner Institute, draws the following conclusion:

"The reason that humans, despite regular physiological Lectinaufnahme has no resulting damage in the intestinal tract, is probably:

• Low levels of incorporated lectins.
• On a protective layer of glycoconjugates (carbohydrate protein compounds) on the intestinal epithelium.
• At the large intestinal surface, which faces the lectins from the food. This reduces the toxicity of the lectins in the intestinal tract. "

Professor Watzl also points out that "for some lectins now also health-promoting effects are discussed."

For example, lectins could also inhibit the development of colorectal cancer, as the scientist found out from cellular research.

According to the consumer service, there is no reason to panic and avoid lectures.

With a balanced diet, nobody has to do without legumes, tomatoes and whole grains, or even abstain for several weeks without any reason. (Ad)