According toThe American Autoimmune Related Diseases Associationthere are nowtwotimes more Americans living with autoimmune diseases than heart disease.
Research suggests thatgenetics account for only about one-third1of autoimmune disease factors.
Environmental triggers, diet and lifestyle may also be responsible.
Hippocrates, said “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine thy food.”
The foods we eat instruct and build our biochemistry.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is essential for equipping you with a strong immune system.
And vitamin A deficiency has also beenlinkedto autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis andtype 1 diabetes.
Why?Researchersseem to think it has to do with our dendritic cells.
The “calm down” message makes use of vitamin A.
In fact,researchsuggests that just 3% of beta-carotene gets converted in a healthy adult.
But Vitamin D, in conjunction with Vitamin A, has beenshownto synergistically dampen the Th17 inflammatory response.
As with vitamin A, vitamin D is most abundant in animal and dairy fats.
And consider getting tests done every few months to ensure your vitamin D levels are healthy.
Unfortunately, K2 is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the western diet.
Iron
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is linked to many autoimmune diseases.
One reason is because a large amount of stored iron, ferritin, is absorbed in the intestines.
And in functional medicine, damage of the gut lining and leaky gut syndrome are considered preconditions for autoimmunity.
Micronutrients
Micronutrient deficienciessuch asselenium,magnesiumandzincare associated with several autoimmune diseases.
That’s mainly due to chronic inflammation, which decreases the absorption of these vital nutrients.
