deflect & leaky gut…..
Hope this info is helpful….. blessings, kathy smith
The DEFLECT line of lectin-blocking formulas
by Dr. Peter D’Adamo
North American Pharmacal® introduces its new DEFLECT line of dietary
supplements designed by the distinguished naturopath Dr. Peter D’Adamo,
author of the bestselling book Eat Right 4 Your Type. DEFLECT products
provide anti-adhesive therapy to lectin sensitive individuals. These ABO
specific formulas block the effects of dietary lectins before they cause
problems , by providing a source of free blocking carbohydrate.
What is lectin? According to an old definition lectins are
carbohydrate-binding proteins or glycoproteins.’ William Boyd therefore
coined the term lectin in 1954, deriving it from the Latin word legere
meaning to choose.’ Boyd was also the first researcher to identify the
blood type specificity of many common dietary lectins.
Typically, lectins can bind to many of the carbohydrate antigens found
in the gut and immune system, causing a variety of health problems.
These can include intestinal dysbiosis, bowel hyperpermiability, immune
dysfunction, food sensitivities and systemic inflammation. This is
usually accomplished by direct agglutination of the target cells.
Lectins can occur in very common foods in the diet, and the majority are
specific for the carbohydrates of the ABO blood typing system. In one
study, the edible parts of 29 of 88 foods tested, including common salad
ingredients, fresh fruits, roasted nuts, and processed cereals were
found to possess significant lectin-like activity as assessed by
hemagglutination and bacterial agglutination assays. (2)
Several common lectins, in particular, wheat germ agglutinin, are known
to bind to the insulin receptor and mimick the hormonal effects of
insulin on adipose tissue, an under-appreciated action which can
account for why individuals on high carbohydrate diets often have
difficulty contolling their weight. Thus, lectin blocking is a safe and
rational method for enhancing weight loss.
In the words of one lectin researcher:
“Most lectins in our diet are resistant to breakdown during gut passage
and are bound and endocytosed by epithelial cells. These lectins
are powerful exogenous growth factors for the small intestine, can
induce dramatic shifts in its bacterial flora and interfere with its
hormone secretion. In addition, lectins which are transported across the
gut wall into the systemic circulation can modulate the body’s hormone
balance, metabolism and health. Although these physiological effects
are mediated or reinforced by immune responses, they are primarily
the result of the specific chemical reactivity of lectins with cell
surface receptors of the gut.” (3)
What is DEFLECT? DEFLECT is a natural product composed of blocking
sugars’ designed to interfere with the adherence of troublesome dietary
lectins. Since many lectins are ABO blood type specific, there are 4
different DEFLECT formulas: one for each blood type. The blocking sugars
in DEFLECT can be considered sacrifical molecules’ that attach to
carbohydrate receptors on the lectins, rendering them unable to bind to
the cells of the body. The DEFLECT formulas provide a source of free
blocking amino sugars (blue) which bind and block lectins before they
can attach to the cells.
Since each blood type is succeptible to lectins with different
carbohydrate specificities, Dr. D’Adamo designed formulas to block
lectins by using mono and poly saccharides specific for each blood type.
Situations where DEFLECT products may be indicated include:
Carbohydrate intolerant individuals who typically gain weight on high
carbohydrate diets. Leaky Gut’ and intestinal dysbiosis. Food
sensitivies. Individuals with a low inflammatory threshold.
Now, North American Pharmacal® introduces its new DEFLECT line of
dietary supplements designed by the distinguished naturopath Dr.
Peter D’Adamo, author of the best-selling book Eat Right 4 Your Type.
DEFLECT products provide anti-adhesive therapy to lectin
sensitive individuals. These ABO specific formulas block the effects of
dietary lectins before they cause damage, by providing a source of
free blocking carbohydrate. Since each blood type is susceptible to
lectins with different carbohydrate specificities, we’ve designed
formulas which block lectins by using mono and polysaccharides specific
for each blood type. DEFLECT products are also an excellent
source of soluble and insoluble fiber for that particular blood type.
1. Deflect isn’t going to allow you to regularly consume avoids any
more than a bullet-proof vest can’t protect your head, arms or legs. It
may have some value as a ‘morning-after’ pill, but beyond that I would
not posit…
2. It is used to primarily repair lectin damage, typically by lowering
the activity of lectins in the gut and blood. Some lectins are are not
food derived (such as bacteria, Candida, pollen, or even our own immune
systems) and dietary avoidance will not inhibit them.
3. One way this repair mechanism works is by ‘prying off’ lectins which
have already adhered to cellular receptors, such as insulin. Since
insulin blockage by dietary lectins has been linked to both insulin
resistance and obesity, using DEFLECT can help accelerate weight
reduction in diet-compliant individuals by speeding up the time it
takes for the regeneration of new insulin receptors or the ‘cleansing’
of the old ones. This can take upwards of one year in some individuals
who just follow the diet, and explains why some dieters do not see
weight loss in the early stages of the program. It is because of this
‘lectin-locking’ function that many other diets (which do have
accelerated weight loss in their early stages) cause their followers to
lose muscle mass and fat -when what we want is to lose only the fat. If
the weight loss in ER4YT is occasionally slow, at least it is healthy:
Losing only body fat means that that a person’s weight loss can
sometimes be only 50% as rapid as other programs which are destroying
muscle and fat. The problem is that muscle is hard to get back, and any
drop in muscle mass results in a lower metabolic rate, leaving the
dieter more likely to gain back the weight, but this time only in body
fat.
4. Many lectins can amplify the effects of auto-immune disease, such as
thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, schleroderma, fibromylagia and
pemphigus. Research shows that some of the lectins which can cause this
may actually be manufactured by the body itself (serum lectins).
By acting as sacrificial molecules, Deflect can block this action.
5. Many people with ‘food sensitivities’ or ‘leaky gut’ have a
phenomena called ‘active endocytosis’ where prior lectin damage results
in an intestinal absorption surface that actively scoops up
macromolecules. Because these larger molecules are very antigenic, then
tend to increase local inflammation and thus increase the leaky gut.
Again, by acting like ’sacrifical molecules’ Deflect can block this,
while also inhibiting bacterial adhesion to the gut as well (bacteria
use their own lectins to attach to the intestines) a secondary cause of
leaky gut. The amino sugars in DEFLECT can also help prevent
re-infection by H. pylorri and many gram-negative bacteria which cause
bladder infections, by flooding their own lectin receptors, thereby
preventing adhesion, the first step needed for infection.
6. The amino sugars in Deflect encourage healthy bowel flora, although
they don not provide a source of flora themselves. These same
amino sugars are healthy enhancers of joint gliding surface and synovia
as well.
(1) Freed DJ. British Medical Journal, 1999 Apr 17;318(7190):1023-4.
(2) Pusztai A. Dietary lectins are metabolic signals for the gut and
modulate immune and hormone functions. Eur J Clin Nutr 1993
Oct;47(10):691-9