Todd,

>> Lectins can do the following:
>> -cross the intact intestinal epithelium and appear in the bloodstream and
>> thence distant organs.

>That's interesting.  How do they manage to do that without doing
>the following..

>> -disrupt the brush border epithelium of the digestive mucosa allowing
>> themselves and other substances easier entry to the tissues and
bloodstream.

They can just pass clean through- maybe they just hitch a ride on a
glycoiprotein that is there to absorb nutrients. Lectins remind me of
lockpickers.

>Do we know enough about lectins to be able to say with confidence
>that paleo lectins *don't* do these things?

There is precious little published data, but I believe there is none
showing
paleofood lectins interact with human (or lab animal) physiology. (my
personal classification being is the lactin A defensive or B
physiological
and then does in react with human physiology. The often quoted
reference is
by Nachbar and Oppenheim - I couldn't find it on pubmed, but it is
quoted in
Pusztai's book Plant Lectins- a colleague ahs leant me a copy but I
have yet
to read it. Lectins scientists haven't really given me the answers I
was
after(I'm still developing my opinions.

Ben Balzer