A recent study on the type of dietary fat consumers use up as well as its impact on the significance and extent of autoimmune flare-ups shows how wrong diet can generally worsen health conditions. Conducted by German researchers Ralf Linker and Aiden Haghikia from Friedrich Alexander University and Ruhr University respectively, the said study sought its findings and recommendations from comparative analysis as performed among mice.
According to Medical Daily, there are approximately 50 million Americans who are diagnosed with immune system disorders -- causing extreme abnormalities, body attacks, tissue damages and other related immune deficiencies. Although the exact triggering factors of such physiological slip-ups remain unclear, researchers have already commenced working on with the correlation of dietary fats as well as their relevant influences and impacts on the patients' health conditions. Stress, anxiety, obesity and other lifestyle factors also set off this deficiency.
Autoimmune outbreaks emerge when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells, the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) report says. Rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, hypothyroidism, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis and lupus are some of the examples of autoimmune disorders that affect nerve cells and reduce immune system activities.
There are two types of dietary fatty acids. One is the long-chain fatty acids, which are abundantly found in Western diet and cuisines such as beef, pork, lamb, cheese, butter and whole milk. Next type is the short-chain fatty acids, which are typically found in fiber-rich diets, seeds, nuts, beans and green leafy vegetables.
In the study, the team unearthed that when mice ate food that contained long-chain fatty acids, it prompted the release of pro-inflammatory T-cells -- attacking the lining of the digestive tract, causing severe stomach pains and worsening the symptoms.
"Most approved immunotherapies weaken or block pro-inflammatory components of the immune system," said the lead researcher Ralf Linker in a press release. "But by strengthening and reinforcing regulatory pathways, therapies could be further optimised."
The immunity study's co-author Aiden Haghikia also added, "It is now our plan to employ our acquired insights to develop innovative dietary add-on procedures to established immunotherapy in multiple sclerosis."
