(Phytochemicals in) Foods to Prevent and Treat Diseases - Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases is defined as a condition an abnormal immune response of the body against substances and tissues of the body.

Types of food to prevent and treat Autoimmune diseases
1. Olive, citrus fruits, graps and grape seed extracts and green tea
In the review of supplemented by hitherto unpublished data of the authors and their coworkers, shows that the intake of polyphenols contained in natural sources, such as hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleuropein (olives), naringin and hesperidin (Citrus fruits), resveratrol, procyanidins or oligomeric procyanidin (grapes or grape seed extracts), (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (green tea) and quercetin (grapes, green tea) etc., are able to modulate chronic inflammatory diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, etc(1).

2. Grape skin and seed
Mast cells are immune cells critical in the pathogenesis of allergic, but also inflammatory and autoimmune diseases through release of many pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-8 and TNF. Compared the flavonoid quercetin (Que) and cromolyn on cultured human mast cells. Que and cromolyn (100 µM) can effectively inhibit secretion of histamine and PGD(2). Que and cromolyn also inhibit histamine, leukotrienes and PGD(2) from primary human cord blood-derived cultured mast cells (hCBMCs) stimulated by IgE/Anti-IgE. However, Que is more effective than cromolyn in inhibiting IL-8 and TNF release from LAD2 mast cells stimulated by SP. Moreover, Que reduces IL-6 release from hCBMCs in a dose-dependent manner. Que inhibits cytosolic calcium level increase and NF-kappa B activation. Interestingly, Que is effective prophylactically, while cromolyn must be added together with the trigger or it rapidly loses its effect(2).

3. Bean and legumes
 In this study, the inhibiting effects of various flavonoids on antigen-specific proliferation and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by human and murine autoreactive T cells in vitro, found that
flavones but not flavanoles or flavanones are effective inhibitors of the potentially pathogenic function of autoreactive T cells. The effects of flavones were the same for human and murine autoreactive T cells, stressing the usefulness of animal models of autoimmunity for further studies on the effects of flavonones on autoimmune diseases(3)

4. Vegan diet
In the study of clarification of the efficacy of LF in rheumatoid diseases as an example of a health problem where inflammation is one of the main concerns. LF is an uncooked vegan diet and consists of berries, fruits, vegetables and roots, nuts, germinated seeds and sprouts, i.e. rich sources of carotenoids, vitamins C and E, showed that the rheumatoid arthritis patients eating the LF diet also reported similar positive responses and the objective measures supported this finding. The improvement of rheumatoid arthritis was significantly correlated with the day-to-day fluctuation of subjective symptoms. In conclusion the rheumatoid patients subjectively benefited from the vegan diet rich in antioxidants, lactobacilli and fibre, and this was also seen in objective measures(4).

5. Etc.


Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%20tyrosol%20and%20auto-immune%20diseases
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22470478
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15276069
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11156742