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Diet, Environmental Factors and Autoimmune Diseases: Can We Find a Path for Preventive Lifestyle?

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2022) | Viewed by 27146

Special Issue Editor

Department of Biochemistry, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kanagawa 216-8511, Japan
Interests: nutrition; diet; inflammation; autoimmunity; rheumatoid arthritis; systemic lupus erythematosus; Sjögren syndrome

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cumulative reports indicate that dietary intake and other life-style aspects would have a significant impact on autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. For example, the quality of diet, intake of green tea catechin, history of smoking, and vitamin D levels via exposure to sunlight are proposed to modulate the immune response, possibly playing a role in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases. Such findings imply that we may be able to open a new avenue to prevent or manage autoimmune diseases by modifying our lifestyle, in which dietary intake being the critical factor.

The Special Issue aims to provide a forum to discuss the potential contribution of dietary intake, nutrients, and other nutrition-related habits or lifestyle in autoimmune diseases, seeking their possible roles in preventing the diseases' occurrence or progression.  In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: diet, nutrition, nutrients, minerals, periodontal diseases, smoking, alcohol, gut microbiota, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren syndrome, systemic sclerosis, Behcet disease, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, autoimmune thyroiditis. I am looking forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Kayo Masuko
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Dietary habits
  • Nutrients
  • Nutrition and physical activity
  • Lifestyle
  • autoimmunity
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Sjögren syndrome

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 950 KiB  
Article
Nutrition and Rheumatoid Arthritis Onset: A Prospective Analysis Using the UK Biobank
by Camilla Barbero Mazzucca, Lorenza Scotti, Giuseppe Cappellano, Francesco Barone-Adesi and Annalisa Chiocchetti
Nutrients 2022, 14(8), 1554; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14081554 - 08 Apr 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4735
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the joints. The multifactorial etiopathogenesis of RA has been heavily investigated, but is still only partially understood. Diet can represent both a risk factor and a protective factor, based on some evidence that [...] Read more.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the joints. The multifactorial etiopathogenesis of RA has been heavily investigated, but is still only partially understood. Diet can represent both a risk factor and a protective factor, based on some evidence that suggests specific properties of certain foods and their ability to increase/reduce inflammation. To date, the studies done on this topic provide discordant results and are heterogeneous in terms of design and cohort size. In this work, we investigated for the first time the relationship between nutrition and the risk of RA onset using a sample size of about half a million subjects from one of the largest publicly available biobanks that is the UK biobank. Results showed that oily fish, alcohol, coffee and breakfast cereals have protective roles in RA; whereas, tea can increase the risk of RA. In conclusion, the obtained results confirm that diet plays key roles in RA, either by promoting or by preventing RA onset and development. Future research should focus on unravelling the effects of dietary habits on immune-mediated diseases to establish better preventive strategies. Full article
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11 pages, 264 KiB  
Article
Association between Diet and Xerostomia: Is Xerostomia a Barrier to a Healthy Eating Pattern?
by Indre Stankeviciene, Jolanta Aleksejuniene, Alina Puriene and Lina Stangvaltaite-Mouhat
Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4235; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13124235 - 25 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2221
Abstract
Objective. Xerostomia is a subjective feeling of dry mouth and is commonly observed in patients with autoimmune diseases. Our study examines the association between xerostomia and diet. Materials and Methods. The cross-sectional study includes 1405 adults from 15 Lithuanian geographical areas (52% response [...] Read more.
Objective. Xerostomia is a subjective feeling of dry mouth and is commonly observed in patients with autoimmune diseases. Our study examines the association between xerostomia and diet. Materials and Methods. The cross-sectional study includes 1405 adults from 15 Lithuanian geographical areas (52% response rate). A self-reported questionnaire inquired about xerostomia, sex, age, education, residence, and consumption of selected 23 diet items. For the multivariable analysis, 23 diet items were categorized into eight major diet groups. The data were analyzed by bivariate and multivariable analyses. Results. When comparing participants with and without xerostomia, there were significant differences in consumption frequencies concerning cold-pressed oil (p = 0.013), bread (p = 0.029), processed meat products (p = 0.016), fat and lean fish (p = 0.009), and probiotic supplements (p = 0.002). In the multivariable binary logistic regression model, when controlled for other determinants, the higher consumption of carbohydrates (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.23–0.65), proteins (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.32–0.99), and oils (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.34–1.00) was associated with a lower likelihood of xerostomia. Conclusions. The association between xerostomia and the consumption of the six diet items—cold-pressed oils, lean and fat fish, bread, processed meat, and probiotic supplements— and the three major diet groups—carbohydrates, proteins, and oils—was observed. Longitudinal studies are needed to validate the observed associations. Full article
24 pages, 516 KiB  
Article
Are Nutritional Patterns among Polish Hashimoto Thyroiditis Patients Differentiated Internally and Related to Ailments and Other Diseases?
by Paulina Ihnatowicz, Paweł Wątor, Jerzy Gębski, Joanna Frąckiewicz and Małgorzata Ewa Drywień
Nutrients 2021, 13(11), 3675; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13113675 - 20 Oct 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3123
Abstract
There is not any diet recommended for Hashimoto’s disease, despite that those patients are often undernourished. Because of the high heterogeneity of Hashimoto’s patients, insight into dietary patterns might shed some light on the patient-tailored dietary approach, thus improving their treatment and helping [...] Read more.
There is not any diet recommended for Hashimoto’s disease, despite that those patients are often undernourished. Because of the high heterogeneity of Hashimoto’s patients, insight into dietary patterns might shed some light on the patient-tailored dietary approach, thus improving their treatment and helping to identify patients with the highest probability of particular nutritional deficiencies. The aim of this study was to identify Hashimoto’s patients’ dietary patterns and their characterization based on both socio-demographic variables and dietary self-assessment. We collected data online from patients with Hashimoto’s disease. The questionnaire formula used in the study was developed based on a validated food frequency questionnaire KomPAN®. K-means pattern analyses were used to characterize patients into patterns based on the frequency of particular types of foods consumption and socio-demographic factors. Four patterns were identified. We labeled them as ‘Convenient’, ‘Non-meat’, ‘Pro-healthy’, and ‘Carnivores’ with participants proportions at approximately one-fourth per each pattern. The patients were mainly of the female gender (94.08%), with a female: male ratio of 15.9. Hashimoto’s patients differed in their food product choices, food choice motives, dieting experience, nutritional knowledge, smoking habits, food allergies and intolerances, and lipid disorders, and thus represent different eating patterns. However, these patterns were not determined by comorbidities or the majority of ailments. Full article
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Review

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24 pages, 1016 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Gut Microbiome in Myasthenia Gravis
by Angel Yun-Kuan Thye, Jodi Woan-Fei Law, Loh Teng-Hern Tan, Sivakumar Thurairajasingam, Kok-Gan Chan, Vengadesh Letchumanan and Learn-Han Lee
Nutrients 2022, 14(8), 1647; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14081647 - 14 Apr 2022
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 8412
Abstract
The human gut microbiota is vital for maintaining human health in terms of immune system homeostasis. Perturbations in the composition and function of microbiota have been associated with several autoimmune disorders, including myasthenia gravis (MG), a neuromuscular condition associated with varying weakness and [...] Read more.
The human gut microbiota is vital for maintaining human health in terms of immune system homeostasis. Perturbations in the composition and function of microbiota have been associated with several autoimmune disorders, including myasthenia gravis (MG), a neuromuscular condition associated with varying weakness and rapid fatigue of the skeletal muscles triggered by the host’s antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) in the postsynaptic muscle membrane at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). It is hypothesized that perturbation of the gut microbiota is associated with the pathogenesis of MG. The gut microbiota community profiles are usually generated using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Compared to healthy individuals, MG participants had an altered gut microbiota’s relative abundance of bacterial taxa, particularly with a drop in Clostridium. The microbial diversity related to MG severity and the overall fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were lower in MG subjects. Changes were also found in terms of serum biomarkers and fecal metabolites. A link was found between the bacterial Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU), some metabolite biomarkers, and MG’s clinical symptoms. There were also variations in microbial and metabolic markers, which, in combination, could be used as an MG diagnostic tool, and interventions via fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) could affect MG development. Probiotics may influence MG by restoring the gut microbiome imbalance, aiding the prevention of MG, and lowering the risk of gut inflammation by normalizing serum biomarkers. Hence, this review will discuss how alterations of gut microbiome composition and function relate to MG and the benefits of gut modulation. Full article
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25 pages, 998 KiB  
Review
Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Immunomodulatory Properties of Tea—The Positive Impact of Tea Consumption on Patients with Autoimmune Diabetes
by Anna Winiarska-Mieczan, Ewa Tomaszewska and Karolina Jachimowicz
Nutrients 2021, 13(11), 3972; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13113972 - 07 Nov 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4658
Abstract
The physiological markers of autoimmune diabetes include functional disorders of the antioxidative system as well as progressing inflammation and the presence of autoantibodies. Even though people with type 1 diabetes show genetic predispositions facilitating the onset of the disease, it is believed that [...] Read more.
The physiological markers of autoimmune diabetes include functional disorders of the antioxidative system as well as progressing inflammation and the presence of autoantibodies. Even though people with type 1 diabetes show genetic predispositions facilitating the onset of the disease, it is believed that dietary factors can stimulate the initiation and progression of the disease. This paper analyses the possibility of using tea as an element of diet therapy in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Based on information available in literature covering the last 10 years, the impact of regular tea consumption or diet supplements containing tea polyphenols on the oxidative status as well as inflammatory and autoimmune response of the organism was analyzed. Studies conducted on laboratory animals, human patients, and in vitro revealed positive effects of the consumption of tea or polyphenols isolated therefrom on the diabetic body. Few reports available in the literature pertain to the impact of tea on organisms affected by type 1 diabetes as most (over 85%) have focused on cases of type 2 diabetes. It has been concluded that by introducing tea into the diet, it is possible to alleviate some of the consequences of oxidative stress and inflammation, thus limiting their destructive impact on the patients’ organisms, consequently improving their quality of life, regardless of the type of diabetes. Furthermore, elimination of inflammation should reduce the incidence of immune response. One should consider more widespread promotion of tea consumption by individuals genetically predisposed to diabetes, especially considering the drink’s low price, easy availability, overall benefits to human health, and above all, the fact that it can be safely used over extended periods of time, regardless of the patient’s age. Full article
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Other

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8 pages, 617 KiB  
Opinion
Glucose as a Potential Key to Fuel Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis
by Kayo Masuko
Nutrients 2022, 14(11), 2349; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14112349 - 04 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2601
Abstract
Glucose is the most important source of energy and homeostasis. Recent investigations are clarifying that glucose metabolism might be altered in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which would play a role in the inflammatory phenotype of rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts. It may also play a role [...] Read more.
Glucose is the most important source of energy and homeostasis. Recent investigations are clarifying that glucose metabolism might be altered in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which would play a role in the inflammatory phenotype of rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts. It may also play a role in a variety of autoimmune diseases’ pathophysiology by modulating immune responses and modifying autoantigen expressions. The research into glucose and its metabolism could lead to a better understanding of how carbohydrates contribute to the occurrence and duration of RA and other autoimmune diseases. Full article
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