Autoimmune Disease, Weight, and Treatment Response
Leptin Resistance Makes Us Heavier and Sicker
Patients who are overweight have an increased risk of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, type-1 diabetes, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and thyroid disease. The risk of MS is doubled. Poor diet and obesity increase the severity of disease and may interfere with effectiveness of treatment.
Both obesity and autoimmune disorders are associated with elevated levels of leptin, other hormones and inflammatory mediators. Autoimmune disease is caused by auto-antibody production—antibodies against our own tissues. Excess weight disrupts immune processes including self-tolerance mechanisms. In good health, we make antibodies against foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. In autoimmune disease, we make antibodies against our own tissues.
There are a number of ways that obesity and autoimmune disease can be linked but the strongest link has been shown for leptin. The higher percentage of body fat, the more leptin we make. Increased leptin secretion by fat disturbs the normal checks-and-balances of immunity and that sets the stage for autoimmune disease development. Leptin increases levels of inflammatory mediators that are blocked by medications like Humira in autoimmune diseases.
The more we understand these conditions, the better we can treat them. As we discussed in the last lesson, certain foods increase leptin levels and make us hungry all the time. High fructose corn syrup, table sugar, and saturated fat can all create leptin resistance and high leptin levels even in slender people. High leptin levels set us up to eat more and gain weight. More importantly, leptin is a hormone that changes our immunity and metabolism to make autoimmune diseases more likely and harder to treat. It is not just calories in and calories out. Certain foods make us too heavy and make us sick. You can help yourself by avoiding fructose, table sugar, carbs, and saturated fat.
No sugar or fructose, no saturated fats. Carbs!! The final frontier!!!