4 ms·

I've never believed that changing one's diet will cure autoimmune diseases. The autoimmunity is from a genetic alteration. Diet could possibly help dampen effec

I've never believed that changing one's diet will cure autoimmune diseases. The autoimmunity is from a genetic alteration. Diet could possibly help dampen effects, but diet is difficult to control, not just "willpower" but environmental exposure, and the metabolic pathways are long and quite diverse from person to person. The bigger question is how do we control the gut microbiota effectively and accurately? ALSO, I must point out: >> Consumption of a high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (KD) improves MS-related symptoms in humans This is a SKEPTICAL claim, as the footnote trial references used do NOT state this.

lm28469 2y ago
Most people have an incredibly shitty diet that can be improved 10x by implementing simple rules. Some people are ignorant, some people are lazy, some people are addicted, some people straight up don't care My dad didn't even know the difference between carbs and sugar, as in if his doctor told him to eat 100gr of carbs per day he wouldn't know what's best between sweet potatoes or pure white sugar. It's almost like not knowing you need o2 to breath or water to survive
- adamredwoods 2y ago
  One would hope, and perhaps I'm wrong here, that people with serious autoimmune diseases are past this phase, and have already tried altering their diet to improve their symptoms and extend their lives.
FrustratedMonky 2y ago
"Diet could possibly help dampen effects" If you are on the Standard American Diet, and having autoimmune disorders, then improving any diet can 'dampen', and that might be enough. Don't think anybody thinks diet is a 'cure' of autoimmune disorders, just some improvement.
theGnuMe 2y ago
All of your statements are inconsistent with what we actually know.
epgui 2y ago
Your general skepticism of the impact of diet on autoimmune disease modification is warranted, but only in a very hand-wavy sense. Also… 1. The article does not claim that diet modification cures autoimmunity 2. Autoimmunity is partly but not wholly genetic, and the genetic component usually can’t be described as “a genetic alteration”— it’s more a collection of a large number of interacting genetic predispositions (and that is usually coupled with various environmental and random factors). Either way, diet and genetics interact in many ways. 3. It is not at all surprising (in general) to find that interventions at the level of lipid metabolism result in measurable changes in disease model biomarkers… Although the specifics are very interesting. This is a great paper. (biochemist)
- spondylosaurus 2y ago
  It does say "protect against," though, which to me raises the question of "protects against to what extent?" Which, related to your point about collections of interacting genes: I ran a Promethease report on my genetic data, and it said I had 15-20 different genes associated with an elevated risk of a particular autoimmune disease that I do, in fact, currently suffer from. So in a case like that, I suspect (but obviously can't say for sure) that protective diets have a much harder battle to fight than for someone who doesn't have all those genes.
  - epgui 2y ago
    The devil is in the details, but you ask the right questions.
esperent 2y ago
> The autoimmunity is from a genetic alteration That's quite the sweeping claim. What are you basing that on?
- epgui 2y ago
  It’s not completely wrong, it’s just way too specific. Autoimmunity usually has an important (known) genetic basis. I just wouldn’t word it as something so simple as “a genetic alteration”. It’s usually more like “a combination of hundreds of genetic predispositions”, which could comprise acquired mutations as well as natural variants of various genes. And that is quite often mixed in with a few dozen environmental or epidemiological factors.
  - esperent 2y ago
    Autoimmune diseases having a genetic basis is a completely different statement than saying they occur because of genetic alteration.
    - epgui 2y ago
      I give laypeople a bit of leeway on language precision.
    - adamredwoods 2y ago
      You are correct and I want to be accurate. Autoimmune is genetic risk alleles plus environment, whereas cancer is genetic alteration. https://pathology.jhu.edu/autoimmune/development https://pathology.jhu.edu/autoimmune/development
      - epgui 2y ago
        Your cancer comment is generally wrong for the same reason your autoimmunity comment was generally wrong.

lm28469 2y ago

Most people have an incredibly shitty diet that can be improved 10x by implementing simple rules. Some people are ignorant, some people are lazy, some people are addicted, some people straight up don't care My dad didn't even know the difference between carbs and sugar, as in if his doctor told him to eat 100gr of carbs per day he wouldn't know what's best between sweet potatoes or pure white sugar. It's almost like not knowing you need o2 to breath or water to survive

adamredwoods 2y ago
One would hope, and perhaps I'm wrong here, that people with serious autoimmune diseases are past this phase, and have already tried altering their diet to improve their symptoms and extend their lives.

FrustratedMonky 2y ago

"Diet could possibly help dampen effects" If you are on the Standard American Diet, and having autoimmune disorders, then improving any diet can 'dampen', and that might be enough. Don't think anybody thinks diet is a 'cure' of autoimmune disorders, just some improvement.

theGnuMe 2y ago

All of your statements are inconsistent with what we actually know.

epgui 2y ago

Your general skepticism of the impact of diet on autoimmune disease modification is warranted, but only in a very hand-wavy sense. Also… 1. The article does not claim that diet modification cures autoimmunity 2. Autoimmunity is partly but not wholly genetic, and the genetic component usually can’t be described as “a genetic alteration”— it’s more a collection of a large number of interacting genetic predispositions (and that is usually coupled with various environmental and random factors). Either way, diet and genetics interact in many ways. 3. It is not at all surprising (in general) to find that interventions at the level of lipid metabolism result in measurable changes in disease model biomarkers… Although the specifics are very interesting. This is a great paper. (biochemist)

spondylosaurus 2y ago
It does say "protect against," though, which to me raises the question of "protects against to what extent?" Which, related to your point about collections of interacting genes: I ran a Promethease report on my genetic data, and it said I had 15-20 different genes associated with an elevated risk of a particular autoimmune disease that I do, in fact, currently suffer from. So in a case like that, I suspect (but obviously can't say for sure) that protective diets have a much harder battle to fight than for someone who doesn't have all those genes.
- epgui 2y ago
  The devil is in the details, but you ask the right questions.

esperent 2y ago

> The autoimmunity is from a genetic alteration That's quite the sweeping claim. What are you basing that on?

epgui 2y ago
It’s not completely wrong, it’s just way too specific. Autoimmunity usually has an important (known) genetic basis. I just wouldn’t word it as something so simple as “a genetic alteration”. It’s usually more like “a combination of hundreds of genetic predispositions”, which could comprise acquired mutations as well as natural variants of various genes. And that is quite often mixed in with a few dozen environmental or epidemiological factors.
- esperent 2y ago
  Autoimmune diseases having a genetic basis is a completely different statement than saying they occur because of genetic alteration.
  - epgui 2y ago
    I give laypeople a bit of leeway on language precision.
  - adamredwoods 2y ago
    You are correct and I want to be accurate. Autoimmune is genetic risk alleles plus environment, whereas cancer is genetic alteration. https://pathology.jhu.edu/autoimmune/development https://pathology.jhu.edu/autoimmune/development
    - epgui 2y ago
      Your cancer comment is generally wrong for the same reason your autoimmunity comment was generally wrong.