Re: Lupus, Diet, Autoimmunity and ANA

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In a message dated 5/13/2004 9:16:42 PM Pacific Standard Time, LUPIES writes:

She tells me that food we eat can cause autoimmune diseases. Has anyone ever heard this? She has me on a low glycemic diet and no wheat for a few weeks and no dairy. It's hard to eat like this and I hope it's not all for nothing. It's also

expensive to find special foods. Grrr! She says that my ANA should go back

ot normal. Is she nuts? What do you all think?

Oh, these questions are so close to my heart. Like many lupies, when I was first diagnosed I researched -- REALLY researched -- the issue of food and lupus. The only thing I found out was that large doses of alfalfa were shown to cause lupus-like symptoms in monkeys. There is NO bona fide lupus diet, and foods in and of themselves cannot cause autoimmune disease. In fact, the causes of autoimmunity are still not completely known, but there IS a genetic link. This genetic propensity meets with certain environmental factors in some cases and the autoimmune process is activated. What the environmental factors are is unclear right now. Scientists suspect that they might be different in different people. Clearly in lupus, sunlight can worsen lupus flares and trigger them (or seem to activate the disease). But, food? There's no evidence of this, yet.

It IS important for lupies to get proper nutrition, keep weight issues balanced, and make sure that we don't go on strict diets without the monitoring and okay of our rheumies.

As for ANA, our levels CAN fluctuate, however in many cases, lupies who don't have symptoms of their disease (in a kind of remission) still might have ANA levels. My own levels have fluctuated, but have never disappeared. And most scientists now will agree that there is no strong link between postive ANA and lupus activity. There's just so much more to the disease!

Blessings all,

Maureen

www.maureenpratt.com