Like most organisms, wheat has evolved its
defense mechanism to fight predators. It produces ‘invincible thorn’ wheat
lectin to wade of predators. To understand the mechanism may not be compliant
with our attempt to make it a primary source of nutrition.
Here is an excerpt "Opening Pandora's
Bread Box":
WGA
(Wheat Germ Agglutinin) lectin and viruses
have many interesting similarities between them. WGA lectin are taken into a
cell through a process of endocytosis and attaches to the cell membrane. Both
WGA lectin are viral particles with several orders of magnitude smaller than
the cell they enter. WGA and influenza gain entry through sialic acid coating
of our mucus membrane. Each have neuraminidase enzyme for virus and WGA lectin
has wider reach in the host body. Once the WGA and influenza virus enters the
body, they are both capable of blurring the line in the host. Influenza
incorporates itself into the genetic material of the cell and controls the
protein production machinery to replicate itself. It enforces our immune system
to attack its own transformed cell to disinfect itself. Research done on herpes
simplex virus shows that WGA has the capacity to block virus infection by
binding to the same cell surface receptor. WGA influences gene expressions of some cells
and is associated with autoimmunity like other lectins like soy lectin and some
viruses like Epstein-Barr virus. WGA has the capacity to cause certain cells to
exhibit class 2 human leukocyte antigens (HLA-II) making them destruct
automatically by white blood cells. Human antibodies cross react with other
proteins even if WGA doesn’t transform the phenotype of cell to ‘other’ .This
results in cross reactivity of WGA to antibodies resulting to autoimmunity.
If it would be possible to preload wheat with
pathogenic lectins designed to respond to the physiology sensation to eat or
not. It would definitely put up a fight. It is not that impossible to consider
its effect as a pathogen for our body.
No comments:
Post a Comment