Autoimmune Diseases part 1

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by the body's immune responses being directed against its own tissues, causing prolonged inflammation and subsequent tissue destruction. Autoimmune disorders can either cause immune-responsive cells to attack the linings of the joints (resulting in rheumatoid arthritis) or trigger immune cells to attack the insulin-producing islet cells of the pancreas (leading to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus).

A healthy immune system recognizes, identifies, remembers, attacks, and destroys bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, cancer cells, or any health-damaging agents not normally present in the body. A defective immune system, on the other hand, wreaks havoc throughout the host by directing antibodies against its own tissues.

Any disease in which cytotoxic cells are directed against self-antigens in the body's tissues is considered autoimmune in nature. Such diseases include, but are not limited to, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, pancreatitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and other endocrinopathies. Allergies and multiple sclerosis are also the result of disordered immune functioning.

Aging

Age is recognized as an important factor in the appearance of autoimmune disease. In a paper that appeared in The Lancet in 1992, investigators assessed the difference in physiological chemistry between healthy centenarians and unhealthy 60- and 70-year olds. The most striking difference was that the healthy centenarians had very low levels of autoantibodies to their thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, hypothalamus (Mariotti 1992). This has led some people to speculate that autoimmunity is the result of environmental exposure to foreign substances. Thus, the immune system may also be suppressed or weakened as a result of lifestyle factors (ie, intake of alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, drugs, sugar, poor diet, and lack of sleep) not associated with a degenerative disease. These lifestyle factors can have a substantial effect on the trends of autoimmune diseases.

As we age, our autoimmune system declines in its effectiveness due in large part to oxidative damage caused by the recurrent presence of significant amounts of free radicals. In addition, proteins can become glycated, that is, a sugar molecule is attached to the protein. The accumulation of these glycated proteins in the body affects the immune system because the immune system sees them as altered proteins with different structure and function (Monboisse 2000; Sasaki 2001; Collison 2002). Regarding these substances as foreign, the immune system develops antibodies against them. The possibility of becoming allergic to oneself, with the associated autoimmunity and inflammation, increases as one accumulates these damaged glycated proteins.

The body is made up largely of proteins, so its health depends upon its freedom from damage (as through oxidation or glycation) as well as its timely removal as part of normal protein turnover. The body's antioxidant system and other lines of defense cannot completely protect proteins. Nature's second line of defense is the body's system for repairing or removing damaged proteins. While some protein repair mechanisms exist, it is difficult for the body to repair most protein damage. Yet, it is essential to efficiently remove aberrant and unneeded proteins to fully protect against autoimmune diseases.

Methods to protect against excessive protein glycation will be discussed later in this protocol.

Basic Pathways of Autoimmune Dysfunction

Autoimmune diseases tend to be viewed as separate entities. A broader perspective, however, may reveal that shared mechanisms are the cause of disease, rather than just its byproduct. If this perspective were applied, patients would benefit (before the development of irreversible tissue damage) from improved therapies and early intervention. Dr. Majid Ali has long considered that there must be a single initial common pathway to all disease, including immune dysfunction.

One consideration is the continued exposure to heavy metals and environmental pollution that overload the immune system. On a daily basis, we battle with pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, industrial wastes, cigarette smoke, and automobile exhaust. Our air, water, and food (in particular) are full of toxic substances. There is no doubt that these toxins play a role in immune dysfunction. Even substances considered by most people as safe impair immune function. Sugar consumption in all forms (glucose, fructose, and sucrose) will impair the ability of white cells to destroy biological agents. This effect begins within a half hour of consumption and lasts for 5 hours. After 2 hours, immune function is reduced by 50% (Sanchez 1973; Bernstein 1977).

Oxidative stress plays a role in autoimmune diseases. It can be compared to a piece of metal rusting and results from the action of damaging molecules (ie, free radicals), which are a natural byproduct of the body's metabolism. The electrically charged free radicals attack healthy cells, causing them to lose their structure and function and eventually destroying them. Free radicals are not only produced by our bodies, but are also ingested from toxins and pollution in the air we breathe.

Chronic systemic inflammation is related to several autoimmune disorders, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and fibromyalgia (see separate protocols on these topics). Inflammation can be traced to destructive cell-signaling chemicals known as cytokines, which contribute to many degenerative diseases (Brod 2000). In rheumatoid arthritis, excess levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin 1(b) (IL-1b), and/or leukotriene B4 (LTB4), are known to cause or contribute to the inflammatory syndrome that ultimately destroys joint cartilage and synovial fluid. Certain nutritional supplements and low-cost prescription medications will often lower cytokine levels and control the inflammatory state.

Nutritional Supplements to Improve Autoimmune Health

The autoimmune system needs a good nutritional foundation (over a long period of time) to alleviate or reverse lifestyle autoimmune dysfunction and assist with combating fully developed autoimmune diseases. The fundamental causal basis for autoimmune system boosting was shown in an early study designed to measure the serum concentrations of vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin A in patients prior to developing rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus. Two to 15 years after the volunteer patients had originally donated their blood to the serum bank (1974), the serum samples were assayed for vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin A. Those patients who developed rheumatoid arthritis or lupus showed lower serum concentrations of vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin A in 1974. Those with the lowest serum level of beta-carotene in 1974 were the most likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis later in life (Comstock 1997). This indicates the long-term importance of maintaining adequate vitamin status for the prevention of autoimmune diseases.

Slowing the Damage to Healthy Protein

Carnosine, a dipeptide amino acid found naturally in the body, helps slow the formation of glycated protein end products. Recall that glycated protein may be unrecognizable to the immune system, thereby triggering an autoimmune attack. Since the normal removal of damaged protein declines with aging, slowing the development of protein crosslinking (glycation) may help to reduce an autoimmune reaction. In addition to its antiglycation effects, carnosine has been found to modulate immune system neutrophils, thus suppressing a response (Tan 1998).

Reducing Inflammation

A study found that fish oil containing vitamin E delayed the onset of autoimmune diseases in autoimmune-prone mice (Venkatraman 1994). Another study on the effects of vitamin E deficiency found that dietary components that provide antioxidant effects may contribute to the treatment of inflammatory/autoimmune diseases (Amarakoon 1995).

Supplementation with omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) from fish, flaxseed, or perilla oils--along with borage oil, evening primrose oil, or black currant seed oil, which contain the essential omega-6 fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)--can alleviate many symptoms of autoimmune disease through their anti-inflammatory activity. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) extracted from fish oil may be as effective as some prescription medications in reducing inflammation.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a pro-steroidal hormone that decreases with age. Decreases in DHEA levels have been linked to a number of chronic and degenerative diseases including cancer, coronary artery disease, depression, stress disorders, and neurological functioning (Straub 1998). As a result of aging, immunity may become compromised due to dysregulation of cellular hormones (cytokines and growth factors) that govern immune response. Too much or too little of various cytokines produces disease states or compromised responses to various challenges.

In aging animals, the addition of DHEA has normalized deranged cytokine levels, including the primary inflammatory factor interleukin-6 (IL-6) (Araghi-Niknam 1997). In the aged test animals, serum IL-6 was elevated nine-fold from normal. After administration of DHEA or dehydroepiandro-sterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), IL-6 dropped to within 15% of youthful levels. In the same studies, it was shown that antibodies directed toward oneself rose five-fold with aging, but fell by over 50% after 2 weeks on DHEA-S (Spencer 1996).

In a study of ten women with the autoimmune disease Sjogren's syndrome, all were shown to have decreased serum concentrations of DHEA-S and an increased cortisol/DHEA-S ratio compared with healthy controls (Valtysdottir 2001).

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own tissues as though they were foreign invaders. Boswellia may also offer relief to autoimmune-related rheumatoid arthritis patients. Boswellia can help reduce immune cells that encourage inflammation, while increasing the number of immune cells that inhibit inflammation (Chevrier 2005). Studies indicate that boswellia’s ability to modulate the immune system and inhibit inflammatory activity may help improve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions (Ammon 2006).

Lessening Free-Radical Damage

Antioxidants are a broad group of compounds that destroy or neutralize free radicals in the body; thus, they protect against oxidative damage to cells caused by normal aging or daily exposure to pollutants and toxic substances. Antioxidants are found naturally in healthy food, especially fruits and vegetables. The most effective antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, green tea extract, beta-carotene, grape seed-skin extract, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and selenium.

Modulating the Immune System

The immune system functions because of adequate amounts of circulating antibodies. Antibodies are proteins with a unique concave region (combining site) in which they can combine with foreign proteins (antigens). Antigens are most often surface molecules found on the membrane of invading or diseased cells. After the antigen and antibody combine, the new complex produces a number of changes that inactivate or kill the invading cell. This function is known as humoral or antibody-mediated immunity. Lymphocytes are the most numerous cells of the immune system and are responsible for antibody production. B-cells are lymphocytes that produce humoral immunity.

T-cells are lymphocytes formed in the thymus shortly before and after birth. When T-cells come into contact with foreign antigens, the antigen binds to protein on the surface of the T-cell, making it sensitized. Sensitized T-cells destroy invading pathogens by releasing a specific and toxic poison to the cells of bound antigens. T-cells can also indirectly destroy toxic invaders by releasing a substance that attracts macrophages to the area that will ingest and destroy (phagocytose) the pathogen. This function is known as cell-mediated immunity. T-cells regulate natural killer cell activity and the body's inflammatory response to disease.

Material used with permission of Life Extension. All rights reserved.