Ahh, JJ 007, you keep asking good questions.
Are the lectins mostly to do with the heart or specifically linked to AD, as I'm (oddly) obsessed with the AD, but not too concerned re: the heart.
Simplistically, lectins increase inflammation which is believed to lead to leaky gut (intestinal permeability) which leads to an immune reaction in the body that leads to numerous chronic diseases.
As you probably already know, Apo E4 gene has been associated with increased susceptibility to accelerated atherosclerosis (heart disease), decreased longevity, susceptibility to infectious diseases, and Alzheimer’s disease, so our diet is aimed at keeping our body as happy as possible. What’s good for the body seems to be good for the brain.
But as a 4/4 with a very good calcium score on my heart scan indicating low risk for heart disease at this point, I too, am specifically concerned about my AD risk. So, with regard to dementia/Alzheimer’s, remember I referred to the Framingham study in my previous post where women who had a high rate of AD also had elevated levels of Adiponectin, here is the link where I copied these results
http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article ... type=HWCIT
And here are the results as stated from that study/link:
Results Over a mean follow-up period of 13 years, 159 persons developed dementia (including 125 with AD). After adjustment for other risk factors, only adiponectin in women was associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.66; P = .054) and AD (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.00-1.76; P = .050) per 1-SD increase in adiponectin level. Women with baseline adiponectin values more than the median had a higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.03-2.56; P = .04) and AD (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.13-3.10; P = .01) as compared with those with values less than the median
Dr Gundry has noticed elevated adiponectin is a marker for lectin sensitivity. What are his props? Well he has treated thousands of patients with the ApoE4 gene with follow up for 15 years and many are now successfully aging into their mid-to late 80s without consequence.
I agree, there are so many yummy, and according to conventional wisdom, healthy foods, that I no longer eat. I used to grow tomatoes in my backyard every summer, loved them! But now that we’ve been following this low lectin diet for about a year now, it really isn’t so bad, you just have to rise up a little to extend your vision beyond your current horizon to find lots of other good foods out there.
But of course, the decision is yours. As Stavia said, and I love her and her contributions to this forum immensely, not everyone has bought into lectins being correlated to dementia.
Maybe as a compromise, instead of giving up those yummy cucumbers, peppers, etc., you could just start with grains. Recently, in March 2016, Dr Mark Hyman, director of the Cleveland Clinic for medicine, conducted an interview with Dr Bredesen, the leading Alzheimer’s researcher. In asking about dementia causal factors, Dr Hyman asked Dr Bredesen, “How does the gut play a role in the brain, dementia?” Dr Bredesen’s response was, “The gut is playing a huge role. We’re seeing a number of these people have very clearly leaky guts, LPS, {Lipopolysaccharides}, antibodies, they’ve got hsCRPs {high-sensitivity C-reactive protein}, and some of them, interestingly, not all, they’ve often got sensitization to gluten, some to other grains, things like that, so again we try to get them on more of a fat diet, just the sort of thing you’ve recommended over the years.”
But it’s up to you. Enjoy some humus for me.
-Theresa
) is good as it is part of SMASH, is oily. But I just shouldn't eat too much, due to it being fatty (and it may have some Mercury). Is that right? So 3 times a week, is that okay? Is shellfish the same?
. That's your clue to watch out for fatty fish and animal fat overall. Your TG/HDL ratio typically gives a rough estimate of particle size. (sdLDL -small, dense LDL- is a percentage of overall particles. Dr. Gundry wants it below 30%. Your Tg/HDL ratio is good...not great, so it's probably a good idea to keep salmon to just a few times a week- not every meal. Mercury is not a big concern with salmon, such as wild caught sockeye Alaskan. I often use a Wild Planet canned version (BPA-free) mixed with tons of veg when my husband is traveling- easy. Any shellfish or wild caught white fish is fine for everyday. Be careful not to get farm-raised shrimp.
