On Mon, 2 Sep 2002, Amadeus Schmidt wrote:

> Annother question is: Is it valid to test lectin activity on red blood
> cells? No food protein should come in contact with red blood cells.
> Normally proteins are digested before they penetrate into the bloodstream.
> So what sense makes it to take some blood drops out of the body, and see if
> they react with a food lectin?

The reason is that cells in the gut lining are also ABO type.
ABO is not a "pure" blood type.  Thus, if a lectin agglutinates
blood cells of a certain type, it will agglutinate cells in that
creatures gut lining too.  There is research to back D'Adamo's
claim that lectins *do* get into the bloodstream.

Incidentally, meats do have lectins.  The question is not whether
a food has lectins or not, but whether those lectins have
deleterious effects if and when they enter the body.  Does the
mere fact that a certain lectin agglutinates blood cells of a
certain type mean that this lectin causes health problems?  This
is where D'Adamo's picture gets very unclear.

Todd Moody
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