Part I. Hidden Food Intolerance.
Summary: Foods can trigger an auto-immune response in sensitive individuals which leads eventually to autoimmune diseases (Hashimoto thyroiditis, Multiple Sclerosis, fatty liver, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc.). Patients with autoimmune and degenerative diseases should be tested and treated for hidden food intolerance, Yeast syndrome and Mercury toxicity.
The hallmark of autoimmune diseases is production of antibodies against one’s own tissues. The immune system sees its own proteins as foreign. In Hashimoto’s thyroiditis antibodies are produced against the thyroid gland which causes inflammation of the thyroid. In Multiple Sclerosis and Peripheral Neuropathy antibodies are produced against myelin that insulates the nerves. In Rheumatoid Arthritis antibodies are produced against synovial lining of joints.
Modern research suggests that consumption of foods that the person is sensitive to can stimulate production of auto-antibodies. These auto-antibodies damage the patient’s own tissues and organs. They can trigger multiple conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, fatty liver, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, peripheral neuropathies, migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic pancreatitis, Myasthenia Gravis and other.
Currently there is no consensus on what causes production of auto-antibodies. Everyone agrees that it is some kind of “break” in the function of immune system. Inadequate digestion of proteins, dysbiosis (Yeast syndrome), leaky gut syndrome, and genetic factors are blamed as a culprits.
Genetics:
In a last 30 years the rate of autoimmune diseases in developed countries grew at a very high rate, together with degenerative disease like arthritis, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, strokes. In fact it is difficult to separate degenerative and autoimmune conditions, as auto-immune mechanisms are also implicated in development of degenerative diseases.
There are some other factors in play here besides genetics. Genetic factors predispose to the diseases, but environmental factors trigger their expression. The most obvious environmental factors that really changed in a last 30-40 years are – nutrition, exposure to chemicals and heavy use of antibiotics.
Nutrition/Hidden Food Allergy:
In a last few million years humans adopted to the use of certain foods. In a last 10,000 years we added dairy products, grains, yeast to make alcohol and bread, and later beet sugar. Globalization of food markets introduced new foods to local markets, which exposed Europeans to sugar cane in 11-12 century during the crusades; corn, tomatoes, and potatoes in 15 century with conquistadors journey to the New World; and to soy in a last few decades. In a relatively short time (from evolutionary perspective) Europeans added new proteins for their gastrointestinal tracts to digest, and new antigens for their immune systems to play with. These are foods with antigen structures that the immune system of Europeans did not see before.
At the core of the problem is inadequate digestion of proteins contained in these “newcomers”. The end-point of healthy protein digestion in the gut is amino acids. When the digestive tract cannot split protein to amino acids it clips proteins into big chunks (chains of amino acids). Once absorbed, these chains of amino acids are recognized by immune system as “foreign” proteins. The immune system produces antibodies to neutralize “foreign” proteins in a same fashion as it does with viruses and bacteria. Immune (antigen-antibody) complexes are “dumped” into tissues (vascular lining, fat, thyroid, liver, joints, brain, etc.). White blood cells (macrophages) are attracted there to digest these antigen-antibody complexes. They start inflammatory process in target tissues – blood vessel, thyroid gland, liver, brain, myelin and joints.
Some of the undigested chunks of proteins may be structurally similar to tissue proteins of the thyroid, liver, myelin and other tissues and organs. The immune system may “confuse” “foreign proteins” coming from digestive tract with its own proteins in tissues and organs.
Needless to say that nutritional value of food that produces such disorder in the immune system is negligible. It mostly damages the immune system and perpetuates auto-immune diseases and inflammation.
In a last 30-40 years thousands of chemicals were added to foods – as dyes, stabilizers, for taste-changing and other purposes. They are mostly carbon compounds, and in no way can they be considered food items. Most of them are unknown to our digestive and immune systems. They may be viewed by the immune system not as nutrients, but as “foreign bodies” that need to be neutralized. If you care about your health these chemicals must be taken off your “food list”. Check what is written on the packaging of processed foods. The rule of thumb is – if you see a name of a chemical that you cannot pronounce – stay away.
As you see, we keep our immune system very busy. ( Later I will also discuss how we strain immune system via lungs and skin). Abstention from food or foods that patient cannot adequately digest, which as a result trigger production of antibodies, is extremely important in treatment of any auto-immune disease.
Currently five foods are at the top of the list of allergenic products – cow’s milk, wheat, corn, egg and soy. Four out of five allergens are the “latest additions” to the menu of Westerners.
(To be continued)