Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine ● Longevity Nutrition

Lectins

 

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To review, inflammation is not the underlying root of any disease. It is a side effect of a deeper cause. In the previous article I outlined the four core causes of inflammation and discussed some potential problems and benefits of boosting the immune system by stimulating inflammation. Continuing with TNFα as an example, let’s look at the potential problems of taking anti-aging substances to reduce inflammation.

TNFα is an inflammation weapon produced by certain immune cells to protect us from viruses and cancer.

What happens when you take substances that reduce TNFα activty? Several strong pharmaceutical drugs like Humira® and Enbrel® were developed specifically for the purpose of suppressing excess activity of TNFα and relieving the inflammation of many autoimmune diseases. The immune-suppressing side effects of these strong drugs offer glimpse of what happens to the body when TNFα levels are too low. As we would expect, many of side effects revolve around the microbial kingdom gaining the upper hand. These include acute infections of the nose, throat or sinus, cellulitis, fungal infections, reactivated tuberculosis, shingles and bacterial sepsis.   For those suffering from autoimmune disorders, this is a calculated risk. By shutting down inflammation, these drugs disarm the immune system so it can no longer effectively fight invaders.

Several herbs and supplements also suppress TNFα. Touted as “anti-inflammatory” or “anti-aging” these include curcumin[i], black cumin seed[ii], Boswellia[iii] and Cat’s Claw[iv]. While nowhere as strong as some of the pharmaceuticals, what happens to the body’s immune defenses when TNFα is artificially lowered? Some pathogens suppress TNFα as a way manipulate and elude the immune system[v]. Over time can moderate suppression of TNFα compromise the body’s natural defenses against overgrowth of pathogens? Since we are turning off the chemicals that cause the symptoms, how would we even know? Our current medical technology has very limited tools for detecting the presence of an invading pathogen. Most of our tools look to the immune system to provide clues about invaders. A simple urinalysis or blood test cannot detect specific pathogens. Instead it looks for high levels of immune cells like neutrophils or lymphocytes to help the physician determine what is causing the infection. By the time these immune cells show up in lab work, there has already been a significant breach of the immune system.

We know that lectins, proteins found in beans and lentils, will raise levels of TNFα. This is not because these foods have mysterious powers. It’s because the immune system mistakes them for an invader and launches an attack against them. Lectins are not inherently dangerous. However, the immune response that they elicit could certainly influence the rate of aging of any tissues participating in the reaction. Perhaps this is why the Indian diet evolved to include so many herbs that suppress this type of inflammation from immune activity. But where is the line? If there are signs of inflammation, how do we know if it is coming from a legitimate invader or if it’s an artifact of our evolution? If someone is experiencing inflammatory symptoms, shouldn’t we identify what is triggering the immune system to act before we suppress it?

 

An Anti-Aging Regimen Gone Awry

I felt compelled to write this after seeing an extremely healthy patient with recurrent thrush (a yeast infection of the mouth). It was fairly mild but was enough for his doctor to perform an HIV test. It was negative. This gentleman was obsessed with life extension and he was seemingly doing everything right. He was doing intermittent fasting, interval exercise, alkaline water, Paleo Diet, lots of veggies, adequate protein, low sugar and carbs, blackout curtains at night. His labs showed everything as perfect. Even his neutrophils (the immune cells that fight yeast) were on target. As part of his life extension regimen, he was paying a small fortune every month for herbs and supplements. Of interest, these included curcumin, Pterostilbene, green tea extract, fish oil, Boswellia and, when it was still available, Anatobloc®. Unless he took antifungals all the time, the thrush would come back. For awhile, I thought it was microbiome issue. A microbial stool analysis showed only mild yeast overgrowth. This was notable but not remarkable because I see these mild levels in at least 70% of the patients tested. We tried various live-shipped probiotics and fermented foods with no improvement.   After a couple of months it finally occurred to me that he may have been going to far with suppressing inflammation. After some negotiating, he finally agreed to stop the Anatobloc, curcumin and Boswellia for a few weeks. Sure enough, within a week, no more thrush!

Perhaps one day we will have amazing assays to instantly identify any immune trigger that is causing inflammation. Until then how do we find that sweet spot where we suppress inflammation while still helping our immune system do what it already knows how to do?

 

[i] Cho, J., Lee, K., & Kim, C. (2007). Curcumin attenuates the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α as well as cyclin E in TNF-α-treated HaCaT cells; NF-κB and MAPKs as potential upstream targets. International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 19, 469-474. http://dx.doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.19.3.469

[ii] Aftab Ahmad, Asif Husain, Mohd Mujeeb, Shah Alam Khan, Abul Kalam Najmi, Nasir Ali Siddique, Zoheir A. Damanhouri, and Firoz Anwar A review on therapeutic potential of Nigella sativa: A miracle herb Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2013 May; 3(5): 337–352. doi:  10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60075-1 PMCID: PMC3642442

[iii] B. Gayathria, N. Manjulaa, K.S. Vinaykumara, B.S. Lakshmia, , , A. Balakrishnanb Pure compound from Boswellia serrata extract exhibits anti-inflammatory property in human PBMCs and mouse macrophages through inhibition of TNFα, IL-1β, NO and MAP kinases. International Immunopharmacology Volume 7, Issue 4, April 2007, Pages 473–482

[iv] Sandoval M1, Charbonnet RM, Okuhama NN, Roberts J, Krenova Z, Trentacosti AM, Miller MJ Cat’s claw inhibits TNFalpha production and scavenges free radicals: role in cytoprotection.

Free Radic Biol Med. 2000 Jul 1;29(1):71-8.

[v] Bosio CM. The Subversion of the Immune System by Francisella Tularensis. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2011;2:9. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2011.00009.

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