Confronting Future Autoimmune Disease, Now
November 19, 2024
Writer: Helen Hannan
Editor: Haley Gagerman
Oftentimes when we think of healthy living, it's easiest to think of what is most tangible and immediate, like our current emotional and physical state. The key to healthy living, however, is focusing on longevity. This becomes especially true when considering the increasing reality of autoimmune diseases, especially in women.
The term “autoimmune disease” includes dozens of individual diseases that have different constellations of symptoms, mechanisms of action, and experiences, but they all involve the body’s immune system mistaking its own body for an invader. This causes the body to attack its own tissues, leading to inflammation, chronic pain, and disease. Many of these diseases have no known exact cause, however they are said to have a combination of genetic, environmental, and viral factors (Mount Sinai). These diseases, now reaching epidemic levels, can be life-changing, taking emotional, physical, and financial tolls on people and their loved ones (Moore, 2024).
Unfortunately, autoimmune diseases primarily affect women, especially at times of hormonal change (puberty, pregnancy, and menopause) (Desai & Brinton, 2019). While this may not be on the forefront of our minds in college, thinking ahead to try to prevent disease instead of treating it should be. This is where the concept of longevity comes in — how can you translate your good health now to the future, even when you go through hormonal changes or stressful periods of life? How can we set up a lifestyle that is protective against cascades that lead to chronic disease?
The answer, as it so often does, lies partially in diet (Wolter et al., 2021). The cross-talk between the gut microbiome and your immune system is extensive and plays a much larger role in health than we realize. It actually mediates the relationship between resilience from stress — which is a known trigger for autoimmune conditions — and the immune system. To put it simply: a proper gut microbiome will protect your immune system from overreacting to stress and setting off a cascade of events that leads to irreversible autoimmunity (Dantzer et al., 2018). This is an incredibly useful tool as we can control the composition of our gut microbiome through diet. There is emerging research on the correlation between the “Western diet”— think of the typical American diet that is high-fat, high-sugar, and extensively processed — and autoimmune conditions. The research on which diet will effectively protect against autoimmune disease is even more nascent, but there is promising evidence for whole food, unprocessed diets and the Autoimmune Protocol Diet in which participants eliminate certain inflammatory foods (Healthline).
In essence, protecting against inflammation and stress now will help prevent autoimmune conditions in the future (Sharif et al., 2018). There is not one diet or exercise protocol I can provide that will guarantee you do not develop an autoimmune disease, but mediating stress levels through exercise and breath work as well as choosing foods that reduce inflammation and make you feel well will increase the longevity of your health (Harvard Health). To find food that works for you, my last article “Navigating Nutrition: Finding What’s Right for You” should help guide you. We can often tell our gut microbiome is out of balance based on how we look and feel, so checking in with yourself and knowing your baseline is always the best place to start.
As the daughter of someone who suffers — correction, thrives — with an autoimmune disease, the threat of developing one myself looms over me like a dark cloud that will inevitably open up on me and change my life. As far as genetics goes, testing that indicates a high likelihood of developing one exists and, lucky for me, have all come back positive. So should I resign to my destiny, condemned to a future riddled with chronic disease?
I like the phrase “choose your hard.” Both options are hard: avoiding processed food, exercising appropriately for your body, and avoiding stressors is hard, but living with an autoimmune disease is no easier. Every single day, I consciously choose the former, hoping that it will help me avoid the latter. So, no, I will not surrender to my genetics. I choose the hard now. Knowing your limits — when you’re overtired or overstressed — and taking a step back instead of pushing through is hard, especially as college students, but it is infinitely easier than battling life-altering diseases (with no known cures) that are affecting us at epidemic levels.
Autoimmune disorders. Mount Sinai Health System. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/diseases-conditions/autoimmune-disorders
Dantzer, R., Cohen, S., Russo, S. J., & Dinan, T. G. (2018). Resilience and immunity. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 74, 28–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2018.08.010b
Desai, M. K., & Brinton, R. D. (2019). Autoimmune Disease in Women: Endocrine Transition and Risk Across the Lifespan. Frontiers in endocrinology, 10, 265. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2019.00265
Exercising to relax . Harvard Health. (2020, July 7). https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax
Healthline Media. (n.d.). AIP (autoimmune protocol) diet: A beginner’s guide. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/aip-diet-autoimmune-protocol-diet
Moore, B. (2024, May 16). Guest blog: A major health crisis: The alarming rise of autoimmune disease. National Health Council. https://nationalhealthcouncil.org/blog/a-major-health-crisis-the-alarming-rise-of-autoimmune-disease/
Sharif, K., Watad, A., Coplan, L., Lichtbroun, B., Krosser, A., Lichtbroun, M., Bragazzi, N. L., Amital, H., Afek, A., & Shoenfeld, Y. (2018). The role of stress in the mosaic of autoimmunity: An overlooked association. Autoimmunity reviews, 17(10), 967–983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autrev.2018.04.005
Wolter, M., Grant, E. T., Boudaud, M., Steimle, A., Pereira, G. V., Martens, E. C., & Desai, M. S. (2021). Leveraging diet to engineer the gut microbiome. Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology, 18(12), 885–902. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-021-00512-7
Image: Zoe Harris
