In this video, Dr. Diana Girnita, a board-certified rheumatologist, discusses the best supplements scientifically proven to help prevent or decrease the severity of autoimmune diseases. Dr. Girnita is the founder of Rheumatologist OnCall, a telemedicine practice that sees patients in multiple US states. Join us to learn more about autoimmune diseases!
Is there a proven effective plant-based diet for autoimmune diseases like lupus and Sjogren’s syndrome? Are there specialists in plant-based medicine for autoimmune diseases? Can a plant-based diet help with autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s? Let’s find out.
Discover how specific foods can help alleviate the symptoms of autoimmune diseases and improve your overall health.
8. Sunflower Seeds Sunflower seeds are a great way to boost your immune system and alleviate the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. They are packed with nutrients, especially vitamin E, that can help rebalance your immune cells and fight chronic inflammation.
7. Extra Virgin Olive OilRecent studies have shown that extra virgin olive oil contains components like oleic acid and oleocanthal antioxidants, which play an essential role in managing inflammation.
6. Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes are a versatile and nutrient-packed option that can benefit your immune system. They do not contain nightshade alkaloids and are rich in potassium, beta-carotene antioxidants, vitamin C, and vitamin A.
5. Fatty Fish Certain types of fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, or anchovies, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, can inhibit an inflammatory marker called C-reactive protein, which has been linked to worsening autoimmune reactions.
4. Turmeric Turmeric contains the active ingredient curcumin, which has been found to reduce the production, activation, and migration of antibodies, making it an excellent tool for autoimmune balance.
3. Green Tea Green tea is packed with epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a potent antioxidant that has been found to reduce the production of cytokine cells, which play a role in autoimmune diseases.
2. Mushrooms Mushrooms are one of the few plant sources of Vitamin D and are especially rich in this nutrient, which is beneficial for the immune system.
1. Leafy Greens are packed with a range of nutrients and antioxidants that help fight inflammation and protect the body against free radical damage.
The MIND diet is a blend of the Mediterranean and DASH diets. It incorporates green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collard greens, as well as other vegetables. It emphasizes whole grains, olive oil, poultry, fish, beans, and nuts. The diet favours berries over other fruits and suggests consuming one or more servings of fish per week.
“Given the rising number of people with dementia due to the ageing population, it’s crucial to identify changes that can help delay or slow down the onset of cognitive issues,” stated Russell P. Sawyer, MD, a study author from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “We were particularly interested in determining whether diet influences the risk of cognitive impairment in both Black and white study participants.”
The study involved 14,145 people with an average age of 64. Of the participants, 70% were white, and 30% were Black. They were followed for an average of 10 years.
Participants filled out a questionnaire on their diet over the past year. Researchers looked at how closely the foods people ate matched the MIND diet.
Remember the following dietary guidelines:
– Consume three or more daily servings of whole grains
– Eat six or more weekly servings of green leafy vegetables
– Have one or more daily servings of other vegetables
– Include two or more weekly servings of berries in your diet
– Consume one or more weekly servings of fish
– Include two or more weekly servings of poultry
– Aim for three weekly servings of beans
– Consume five daily servings of nuts
– Limit red meat to four or fewer weekly servings
– Limit fast or fried foods to one or fewer weekly servings
Aim for one or more weekly servings of olive oil
– Limit butter or margarine to one or fewer tablespoons daily
– Keep pastries and sweets to five or fewer weekly servings
– Limit wine to one glass per day
The total number of points possible is 12.
Researchers then divided participants into three groups. The low group had an average diet score of five, the middle group had an average score of seven, and the high group had an average score of nine.
Thinking and memory skills were measured at the beginning and end of the study.
During the study, cognitive impairment developed in 532 people, or 12% of 4,456 people in the low diet group; in 617 people, or 11% of 5,602 people in the middle group; and in 402 people, or 10% of the 4,086 people in the high group.
After adjusting for factors such as age, high blood pressure and diabetes, researchers found people in the high group had a 4% decreased risk of cognitive impairment compared to those in the low group.
Researchers found a 6% decreased risk of cognitive impairment for female participants who closely followed the diet, but no decreased risk for male participants.
Researchers also looked at how quickly people’s thinking skills declined as they developed problems. They found that people who more closely followed the MIND diet declined more slowly than those who did not, and that association was stronger in Black participants than in white participants.
“These findings warrant further study, especially to examine these varying impacts among men and women and Black and white people, but it’s exciting to consider that people could make some simple changes to their diet and potentially reduce or delay their risk of cognitive issues,” said Sawyer.
Over the last decade, low-carbohydrate (i.e., low-carb) eating patterns have doubled in popularity.1 Substantial research also suggests a low-carb lifestyle is an effective way to support overall health, including managing or reversing type 2 diabetes. Yet, scepticism remains around the nutritional quality of low-carb diets, with some arguing that reducing carb intake leads to over-consuming protein or fat and under-consuming essential nutrients.
A new study in Frontiers in Nutrition has dispelled that misconception. It demonstrated that well-constructed low-carb eating patterns can meet, and sometimes even safely exceed, people’s nutrient needs.
The study assessed the nutrient adequacy of three different 7-day low-carb meal plans: two ketogenic diets – one that averaged approximately 20 grams of net carbs per day, one that provided an average of about 40 grams of net carbs per day – and one more liberalized plan that contained an average of around 100 grams of net carbs per day. (Net carbs equate to total grams of carbohydrates minus total grams of fibre consumed.) All three plans met the consensus definition of a low-carb diet, which includes less than 130 grams of carbs per day.
All three low-carb meal plans safely exceeded nutrient needs for vitamins A, C, D, E, K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate and vitamins B6 and B12 for men and women aged 31-70.
“Many Americans struggle to get the nutrients they need from typical food choices,” notes study co-author Beth Bradley, PhD, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Vermont. “Our findings suggest that, in addition to their well-established ability to support weight management, low-carb eating patterns can help promote better diet quality and close critical nutrient gaps.”
Only for specific sub-populations with higher needs did a few nutrients fall slightly short in the low-carb meal plans (e.g., iron for younger women and calcium for older adults).
Notably, the two meal plans containing 40 grams and 100 grams of net carbohydrates also provided more than enough fibre for women aged 31-70. Given low-carb diets are especially popular among middle-age women, meeting the nutrients needs of this population is especially relevant.1
“The idea that a low-carb diet must also be low in fibre is simply not supported by the data,” Dr Bradley explains. “High-fiber foods are an important part of a low-carb lifestyle, partly because fibre-rich food choices can help lower net carbohydrate intake. Non-starchy vegetables, nuts and seeds, and, in moderation, even higher-carb fruits, starchy vegetables and whole grains can contribute fibre to the diet while keeping overall net carb intake in check, especially in the more liberal low-carb approach.”
While all three low-carb meal plans were higher than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein, protein levels still fell within the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range of 10-35% of daily calories. In other words, the meal plans provided more protein than needed to prevent deficiency but did not deliver an excessive amount that would be considered unsafe.
Though lower in saturated fat and sodium than the average American diet, the meal plans also slightly exceeded recommendations for saturated fat and sodium. However, they also offered more beneficial omega-6 to omega-3 and sodium-to-potassium ratios.
“Nutrition is often more complex than simply tallying the totals you see on a menu or a food label,” says Dr Bradley. “Which foods your nutrients come from and how they fit within the broader context of your overall diet may play a more important role in determining health outcomes. For example, a better omega-6 to omega-3 ratio has been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. And similarly, a more optimal sodium to potassium ratio may help lower the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.”
The latest study findings add to the robust and growing evidence base demonstrating the role a lower-carb lifestyle can play in supporting good diet quality, overall well-being and managing or reversing diet-related disease. While some people (e.g., younger women and older adults) may benefit from dietary supplements to meet their individual needs, the low-carb diet provides a strong nutritional foundation for health.