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Deficiencies and metabolic disorders that are not easily detected often go unnoticed for many years, impacting the body's ability to manage inflammation. Concurrently, they worsen joint pains, muscle cramps, energy levels, body weight, and mood in patients with autoimmune diseases.
Three Critical Deficiencies and Metabolic Imbalances Exacerbating Chronic Inflammation in Patients with Autoimmune Conditions
Deficiencies in vitamins, minerals, and anti-inflammatory micronutrients, combined with insulin resistance, hinder the body's healing ability in autoimmune patients and exacerbate chronic inflammation.
Such deficiencies and metabolic disorders, which often remain undetected, affect the ability to manage inflammation and exacerbate joint pains, muscle cramps, energy levels, body weight, and mood in autoimmune patients.
Autoimmune diseases are chronic inflammatory conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks its cells and organs.
In repairing damage to organs like the skin, blood vessels, kidneys, and joints caused by the immune system, inflammation occurs in the respective tissues—the more extensive the damage to a tissue or organ, the more intense the healing process.
In autoimmune diseases, this inflammatory process doesn't conclude successfully, becomes chronic, and aggravates the damage[1].
The gradual destruction of the affected organs and chronic inflammation impact the overall body function and significantly deteriorate the patient's quality of life.
Autoimmune diseases have a significant metabolic background[2].
Lifestyle interventions, correcting deficiencies, and dietary changes are critical to treating the disease and chronic inflammation[3].
Identifying and correcting deficiencies and metabolic disorders reduces disease flare-ups and improves patients' quality of life.
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Micronutrients & Autoimmune Diseases
A vast array of micronutrients is essential for the immune system's functioning and plays a significant role in disease onset and progression[4][5].
Common deficiencies in autoimmune patients linked to disease progression and worsening chronic inflammation include:
1. Vitamin deficiencies: D, C, B1, B5, B6, inositol, A, and E. Their low intake disrupts immune system functioning.
Adequate intake of these vitamins is necessary for smooth immune and hormonal system operations. Vitamins C and E have antioxidant properties. Vitamins A, D, and E exhibit anticancer activity, regulate immunity, and support hormonal functioning. B-complex vitamins suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines and are vital for hormonal and nervous system operations and liver function.
Vitamin deficiencies are linked with disease progression, low energy levels, difficulty in managing body weight, and mood swings.
2. Mineral deficiencies: zinc, selenium, iron, magnesium, potassium, tin, manganese, chromium, and copper. Low intake hinders healing mechanisms and inflammation resolution.
Multiple mineral deficiencies affect the immune and gastrointestinal system's functioning. Combined with vitamin deficiencies, they increase susceptibility to infections, worsen autoimmunity, and cause symptoms of chronic inflammation like edema, reduced mental clarity, constipation, and mood swings.
3. Fatty Acid Imbalances: High intake of processed omega-6 and trans fatty acids and omega-3 deficiencies worsen the body's ability to control inflammation and increase the risk of atherosclerosis.
Improving the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio benefits health and disease progression in autoimmune patients.
Why Single Micronutrient Supplementation is Ineffective
Nutrients play a primary role in the body's chemical reactions. Thousands of such reactions co-occur in the human body, and their smooth progression depends on the adequate presence of essential elements.
The challenge in achieving clinically significant results is that all nutrients must be present simultaneously.
Administering individual vitamins or minerals at different times does not bring about substantial or consistent health improvements[6].
Metabolic Factors Promoting Chronic Inflammation
Insulin Resistance: Insulin resistance is a metabolic disorder underlying most issues faced by autoimmune patients[2][7][8].
Many autoimmune patients are unaware that low energy levels, muscle and joint pains, mood swings, and gastrointestinal disorders are directly linked to insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance affects immune function, is directly linked to autoimmune disease flare-ups, and worsens patients' health progression.
It occurs when cells in the body do not respond to insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels. Insulin instructs cells to absorb circulating glucose. Our cells then burn glucose and convert it into energy.
In insulin resistance, cells do not respond to insulin's command to collect glucose from the blood. Consequently, the body increases insulin production, altering normal bodily functions.
A healthy immune system recognizes its own tissues and cells in contrast to foreign elements.
However, in autoimmune diseases, the immune system loses the ability to recognize its tissues and cells, attacks them, and gradually destroys them.
Insulin resistance promotes inflammation and increases pro-inflammatory substances like cytokines.
Chronic inflammation disrupts immune system functioning and can trigger attacks on healthy cells and tissues.
Disturbances in insulin function disrupt the hormonal system, increase visceral fat deposition, enhance inflammation, and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and additional autoimmune diseases.
Elevated insulin levels hinder fat burning, make weight loss practically impossible, and cause fatigue, mood swings, hair thinning, diffuse pain, reduced mental clarity, and disrupted sleep.
Disruption of the Microbial Flora: The microorganisms that colonize the human body is known as the microbiome or microbial flora.
Disruptions in microbial flora affect the functioning of the immune, hormonal, nervous, and gastrointestinal systems[8][9][10].
The composition of the microbiome is linked with immune function and disease manifestation. Autoimmune patients often suffer gastrointestinal disorders like slow digestion, constipation, abdominal bloating, and gallbladder symptoms, including gallstones.
Patients often try to correct these symptoms with dietary changes, usually unsuccessfully.
Ability to Manage Inflammation: Inflammation resolution is an active, highly coordinated process for tissue reconstruction and removal of dead bacteria and cells[1][11].
In autoimmune diseases, organ destruction by the immune system and the inability to resolve inflammation lead to chronic inflammation and worsening autoimmunity.
The inability to heal and chronic inflammation exacerbates the health of autoimmune patients and worsen the disease's progression.
Symptoms associated with chronic inflammation may include:
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Low-grade fever in the evenings
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Edema (swelling)
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Chronic pain
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Exhaustion
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Poor mood (melancholy, tension, irritability)
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Intense hunger
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Sleepiness
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Sleep disturbances
- Reduced mental clarity
Restoring deficiencies and metabolic disorders that hinder the body's return to normal functioning is crucial for managing inflammation and improving patients' quality of life.
Otherwise, patients' health conditions steadily worsen. Symptoms associated with the above deficiencies and metabolic disorders can persist even after medical treatment.
It's common for autoimmune patients to have test results within normal range yet still not feel well.
Deficiencies and metabolic disorders related to immune system dysfunction remain, regardless of symptom management with medical treatment, and are challenging to identify with standard laboratory tests.
For substantial improvement in clinical status and quality of life for autoimmune patients, disease treatment must include, alongside medical therapy, identifying and correcting accompanying deficiencies and metabolic disorders.
Specialized Tests Shape Chronic Inflammation Treatment in Autoimmune Diseases
Conducting specialized tests allows patients to identify deficiencies and metabolic disorders triggering and sustaining chronic inflammation associated with autoimmunity development.
These tests, called metabolomic analyses, are targeted at patients with autoimmune and chronic diseases[6,12-15]. They detect over 80 markers related to:
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Micronutrient deficiencies: Deficiencies in vitamin D, vitamin C, selenium, zinc, antioxidants, and omega-3 are linked with deteriorating immune system function, inflammation, and the health status of autoimmune patients.
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Mitochondrial energy production: Mitochondrial dysfunction is connected with poor immune and hormonal system function and autoimmunity development. Reduced mitochondrial performance leads to insulin resistance, hyperactivity and dysfunction of the immune system.
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Simple sugar metabolism dysfunctions: Consuming more simple sugars than the body can metabolize triggers inflammation and is a significant indicator of autoimmune disease progression.
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Insulin resistance: Insulin acts as a suppressor in immune system functioning. Elevated insulin levels disrupt immune function, worsen autoimmunity, and accelerate organ destruction in autoimmune diseases.
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Neurotransmitter metabolism: Dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline transmit messages between cells and regulate the nervous and hormonal systems. They are called neurotransmitters. Metabolomic analyses provide an accurate picture of these neurotransmitters' secretion.
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Fatty acid metabolism: The balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is a crucial indicator of the body's ability to manage inflammation and plays a central role in regulating the immune system's normal response.
- The state of the body's microbial flora: alterations in the microbiome are linked with worsening immune system function and the ability to differentiate between the organism's tissues and external elements like pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
Our clinic's scientific team evaluates the results of these tests to formulate a treatment plan tailored to each patient.
Only a few years ago, accurately measuring each individual's deficiencies was challenging with standard measurement methods, leading to reliance on general guidelines. Recently, this sensitive measurement method, detecting small molecules in the body, provides an accurate picture of an individual's health status.
Identifying and correcting deficiencies and metabolic disorders related to the body's ability to manage inflammation:
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Improves quality of life and significantly impacts the patient's daily life
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Reduces the risk of complications
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Enhances response to medical treatment
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Lowers the risk of developing another autoimmune disease
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Reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes
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Alleviates fatigue and boosts energy levels
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Improves sugar and lipid metabolism
- Enhances disease progression
Typically, 6-8 months are required to achieve significant change, a year to stabilize the body at a better functional level, and two years for optimal results.
Our clinical experience shows that correcting the body's deficiencies in vitamins and other elements and restoring metabolic disorders improve the body's ability to manage inflammation, accelerate healing processes, and reduce symptoms like pain sensation and chronic fatigue. Gradually, patients improve their quality of life and observe steady improvement.
Bibliographic References
[1] Chronic Inflammation in the Context of Everyday Life: Dietary Changes as Mitigating Factors. Margină, D.; Ungurianu, A.; Purdel, C.; Tsoukalas, D.; Sarandi, E.; Thanasoula, M.; Tekos, F.; Mesnage, R.; Kouretas, D.; Tsatsakis, A. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4135.
[2] Insulin Resistant Pathways are associated with Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis and are Subject to Disease Modification through Metabolic Reprogramming; A Potential Novel Therapeutic Approach," Lorna Gallagher Sian Cregan Monika Biniecka, et al. Arthritis and Rheumatolology. Dec. 16, 2019.
[3] Dietary factors in rheumatic autoimmune diseases: a recipe for therapy? Shani Dahan, Yahel Segal1 and Yehuda Shoenfeld. NATURE REVIEWS | RHEUMATOLOGY. 13 Apr 2017.
[4] Wu D, Lewis ED, Pae M, Meydani SN. (2019) Nutritional Modulation of Immune Function: Analysis of Evidence, Mechanisms, and Clinical Relevance. Front Immunol. Jan 15;9:3160. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.03160.
[6] Dietary micronutrients in the wake of COVID-19: an appraisal of evidence with a focus on high-risk groups and preventative healthcare. McAuliffe S, Ray S, Fallon E, et al. BMJ Nutr Prev Heal 2020:bmjnph-2020-000100.
[7] Metabolic syndrome, autoimmunity and rheumatic diseases Gabriela Medina et al. Pharmacol Res . 2018
[8] Metabolic pressure and the breach of immunological self-tolerance Veronica De Rosa, Antonio La Cava & Giuseppe Matarese. 18 October 2017. Nature Immunology
[9] Gut Microbiota as a Trigger for Metabolic Inflammation in Obesity and Type 2 Diabeteσ. Torsten P. M. Scheithauer et al. Front. Immunol., 16 October 2020.
[10] Insulin resistance per se drives early and reversible dysbiosis-mediated gut barrier impairment and bactericidal dysfunction Author links open overlay panelDalaleGueddouri et al. Molecular Metabolism, March 2022
[11] The end of inflammation? New approach could treat dozens of diseases. National Geographic MARCH 4, 2022
[12] Tsoukalas D, Fragoulakis V, Sarandi E, Docea AO, Papakonstaninou E, Tsilimidos G, Anamaterou C, Fragkiadaki P, Aschner M, Tsatsakis A, Drakoulis N, Calina D. (2019) Targeted Metabolomic Analysis of Serum Fatty Acids for the Prediction of Autoimmune Diseases. Front Mol Biosci. Nov 1;6:120. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2019.00120.
[13] Tsoukalas D, Sarandi E, Georgaki S. (2021) The snapshot of metabolic health in evaluating micronutrient status, the risk of infection and clinical outcome of COVID-19. Clin Nutr ESPEN. Aug;44:173-187. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2021.06.011.
[14] Tsoukalas D., Sarandi E., Thanasoula M. (2021) Non-communicable Diseases in the Era of Precision Medicine: An Overview of the Causing Factors and Prospects. In: Koukios E., Sacio-Szymańska A. (eds) Bio#Futures. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64969-2_13
[15] Prediction of Autoimmune Diseases by Targeted Metabolomic Assay of Urinary Organic Acids. Dimitris Tsoukalas et. al. Metabolites. 2020 Dec 8.
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