Lectins and leptins can block weight loss

Lectins are found in all plants, but especially in grasses otherwise known as the cereals or grains we eat.

They're sometimes called an anti-nutrient because they have defensive features. By binding to sugars or carbohydrates, they resist being broken down.

Their highest concentrations are found in a plant’s reproductive areas or seed germs, meaning legumes and whole grains like wheat contain the highest amounts.

Leptin is a hormone your adipose tissue or body fat releases to help your body maintain normal weight. It’s your satiety hormone, telling your brain in a negative feedback loop when enough fat is stored, thus preventing you from overeating and supporting healthy calorie burning.

But what’s their relationship?

Some research suggests that humans have not sufficiently adapted to the higher amounts of leptin coming from a western-type diet featuring plenty of cereals. As a consequence, it’s possible dietary lectins bind to our leptin receptor and affect its function by causing our brain to miss this satiation signal.

This is known as leptin resistance.

Leptin resistance means you’re driven to keep eating, and the weight piles on.

More indirectly, too many lectins may cause leptin resistance through their effect on our metabolism central to the proper functions of the leptin system.

Other causes of leptin resistance include insulin resistance, stress, poor sleep, chronic inflammation, environmental toxins, gut infections, biotoxin illness or CIRS, and leaky gut / leaky brain.

It's possible to be suffering from more than one of these causes e.g. people who eat too much wheat carbs could also have insulin resistance and long-term inflammation. Often they go together.

But how many lectins are too many?

If you find it difficult to lose weight, have no appetite ‘off button’, experience cravings, or have inflammation or gut issues, you could have leptin resistance.

Reducing lectins, sugar and refined carbs would be a great start towards healing.