"Lectins stimulate class II HLA antigens on cells that do not normally display them, such as pancreatic islet and thyroid cells."
* What triggers auto-immunity? Lancet 1985;ii:78-9.
From Wikipedia: Lectins are sugar-binding proteins which are highly specific for their sugar moieties.
High levels of lectins are present in grains, legumes (beans and peanuts), dairy, and nightshades (which includes tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants). And maybe also dairy. I'm interested in chasing down the dairy angle, since it's one of the foods that I consume a lot of.
I recently decided to 'get serious' about going low-carb. I've been cheating too much. The weight has easily come off, although that is now being complicated by a lack of thyroid medication. I'm on Synthroid, cuz, you know, the drug rep convinced my doctor that it's the Right Thing To Do. But my prescription has run out and my doctor's in another town and I haven't found a low-carb doc here yet.
So now I have a reason to avoid legumes. Knowing why should make it much easier. I don't consider this one paper proof, but it's a start. I'm giving up beans!
It is bright idea to take care of the thyroid glands. To do this, one can rely on the natural thyroid supplements that will help maintain the health of the thyroids.
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