Grain-based treatment for gastric problems

A new grain-based product called NutraLec has been launched by Lectin Labs which claims the product can help remedy a number of gastric problems.

Lectin Labs said it had spent several years researching the potential of NutraLec as a treatment for gastritis and ulcers caused by H. pylori​ bacteria, and the company's president and chief science officer Dr Howard Krivan claims that it is the only such product on the market other than antibiotics that treats the cause of the disease rather than simply alleviating the symptoms.

Krivan said that NutraLec is manufactured from cereal grain and is, therefore, all-natural, highly palatable and very safe to use."NutraLec is based on a class of proteins called lectins which, the company has found, have the ability to bind to harmful bacteria and make them incapable of causing disease. Moreover, this happens in a way which makes it very unlikely for bacteria to mutate into resistant forms, which is a very serious problem that has caused the effectiveness of antibiotics to be diminished,"​ Krivan said in a statement.

NutraLec is available as a bulk powder to manufacturers for use in such products as antacids and dietary supplements. An initial order has already been placed, and more are expected to follow.

Bruce Rose, CEO of Lectin Labs, said: "It is very gratifying to see years of rigorous research and development effort result in such an outstanding product. It is even more exciting to consider that NutraLec is merely the tip of the iceberg for commercialising the numerous lectin products which we have under development for a wide range of medical problems."​

Lectin Labs is a biopharmaceutical company specialising in the extraction of lectins from botanical sources for use in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products. The company has been awarded six US patents for its lectin technologies, and many more US and international cases are pending.