Foods that are often blamed for food allergies and sensitivity reactions are also believed to cause or contribute to inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. These common foods are likely to do so through a process of intestinal inflammation that results in leaky gut. This injury, which occurs especially in people with genetic predisposition, and in the context of altered gut bacteria (dysbiosis) and immune stress, probably predisposes to increased inflammation and leaky gut. This vicious cycle is believed to allow complexes of food proteins and toxic bacteria to enter the body, resulting in a variety of inflammatory and / or autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. In this context, we review a new study that sheds some additional light on the link of food intolerance to rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers from Norway in 2006 published additional new evidence of the link between food and rheumatoid arthritis in the British journal Gut. Professor Bradtzaeg and his colleagues at the Oslo Institute of Pathology measured IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies against food. He measured these antibodies in blood and intestinal fluid in people with rheumatoid arthritis compared to healthy people.
The researchers performed antibody tests in blood and intestinal fluid against the following food antigens: gliadin, oats, cow’s milk proteins (casein, lactalbumin, lactoglobulin), soy, pork, cod, and egg (ovalbumin). These foods are among the top 10 common food allergens, as well as food protein intolerances.
What they found was a “particularly striking (incidence) of cross-reactive dietary antibodies in proximal intestinal secretions,” as well as an increase in IgM antibodies against some of these foods in the blood. The findings in blood were less striking than in intestinal secretions. This is consistent with the difficulties in finding elevated blood antibody levels against food in people with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune / inflammatory conditions despite the large number of anecdotal and elimination diet experiences supporting the role of food in these conditions. Interestingly, Dr. Ken Fine’s stool antibody tests can give results.
The results, in their opinion, indicate that the measurement of blood antibodies to food in rheumatoid arthritis provides little information on the role of food in rheumatoid arthritis. However, intestinal antibodies not only show a “striking” pattern of elevation consistent with adverse immune reactions to foods, but there also appears to be a potential cumulative effect of multiple foods. That is, not only can some foods trigger an abnormal immune response that results in joint inflammation, but the combination of multiple problem foods can be a key component of this link. Their results support the connection of mucosal (gut) immune activation to the cross-reaction of food to rheumatoid arthritis in at least some people.
What could this mean? These data support the concept and the experience of many people that eliminating certain problem food combinations can be beneficial in preventing or reducing joint inflammation. This is exciting and intriguing.
Multiple commonly consumed foods that are frequently associated with allergies and food sensitivities may be contributing to inflammatory and / or autoimmune conditions. These common problem foods or their lectins are likely to contribute to the intestinal inflammation process. This is likely causing a bowel injury resulting in leaky gut. This lesion and leaky gut, especially in people with a genetic predisposition, can, in the context of altered gut bacteria (dysbiosis), predispose to further lesions. This allows toxic food protein (lectin) -bacterial complexes to enter the body, especially the bloodstream. The result is inflammatory and / or autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
This gut-joint axis is probably the same mechanism as the gut-brain axis and gut-skin axis that produce the myriad symptoms and diseases that we are seeing now. Immune reactions associated with dietary proteins (lectin) and bacteria in the gut are increasingly being blamed for the development of a myriad of diseases.
Much more needs to be learned, but it’s interesting that certain foods keep coming up as the usual suspects. These problem foods or lectins include grains (especially wheat, barley, rye, oats, corn), dairy (casein), nightshade (potato, tomato, bell pepper), and peanuts, soybeans, and other legumes. Diets that eliminate or restrict these foods have been reported to be beneficial for many symptoms and illnesses. However, it is difficult to establish definitive links due to the limitations of scientific research.
The foods involved are often limited in some way in a variety of elimination diets, such as gluten-free / casein-free diet, naked diet, paleolithic / hunter-gatherer or caveman diets, arthritis diet, low-carb diet, anti-inflammatory diet, and six food elimination diets.
The Paleolithic or Hunter-Gatherer diet specifically recommends restricting grains, dairy, and vegetables. Various anti-inflammatory or arthritis diets generally recommend eliminating wheat or gluten, dairy, and nightshades. The commonly recommended dietary approach for autism is a casein-free, gluten-free diet.
Despite lay public reports of great successes with such elimination diets, conventional medicine remains slow in studying the dietary treatment of disease. However, especially in the past two to three years, more studies are emerging showing links supporting a significant role for food and bacteria in the gut and various autoimmune diseases.