Artificial intelligence isn’t the only “AI” that’s on the rise these days. For years now, there’s been a steady uptick in another AI: autoimmunity. According to 2024 research, autoimmune diseases—in which the body attacks its own tissues—are dramatically increasing, likely due to changes in our exposure to environmental factors. As of March 2024, an estimated 50 million Americans were living with some type of autoimmune disease.
Autoimmunity can affect any part of the body, but common conditions range from thyroid disorders to neurological problems to bowel health problems and more.
If you’re among the many who’ve been diagnosed with an AI condition, your healthcare provider might have you on a medical treatment protocol. It’s always best to follow your doctor’s advice, but lifestyle choices also have a significant impact on your wellbeing and quality of life. Here’s a look at five everyday changes experts say could make a difference.
- ABOUT OUR EXPERTS: Katherine Maslen, N.D., is a naturopath and host of The Shift Podcast. Stephanie Dunne, M.S., R.D.N., I.F.N.C.P., is an integrative and functional dietitian with Nutrition Q.E.D.
1. Work on Stress Reduction
In terms of health, stress doesn’t seem to help much of anything—and autoimmune conditions are no exception. “Stress and the nervous system have big links to your immune system, and chronic stress can also lead to inflammation in the body,” says Katherine Maslen, N.D., naturopath and host of The Shift Podcast. Some research has even raised the possibility that chronic stress could cause autoimmune conditions.
As much as we’d like to snap our fingers and de-stress our lives, the process is usually more of a slow burn. “Self-care is all about giving your body what it needs; this could be time in nature, sunshine, reading books, drinking filtered water, or connection with friends and family,” Maslen says.
If you’re not sure how to start toning down the stress (and its negative effects), Maslen recommends listing some of the things that help you feel your best. From there, commit to incorporating at least a few of them every day. In some cases, enlisting the support of a mental health professional can help you work through your greatest stressors and create an action plan for finding greater ease.
2. Switch Up Your Diet
For those diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, diet might be the most common target for lifestyle change. Many folks with autoimmune issues turn to eating plans intended to quell inflammation, including the aptly named Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet. This elimination diet removes multiple food groups (such as grains, legumes, dairy, and nightshade vegetables) for a period, then reintroduces slowly them to see how they impact symptoms. Though there’s not a ton of research on the AIP diet’s effectiveness, some small studies have found that it could help conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
That said, an AIP diet is extremely restrictive. If it feels too intensive, you might start out more simply by going gluten-free, suggests integrative and functional dietitian Stephanie Dunne, M.S., R.D.N., I.F.N.C.P., of Nutrition Q.E.D. “Gluten triggers the release of a hormone called zonulin in the intestines,” she explains. “Zonulin opens the tight junctions between our intestinal cells, essentially causing leaky gut. People genetically susceptible to autoimmune diseases seem to release more zonulin and recover from it more slowly than those without.”
Ditching dairy might also be helpful for people with certain AI conditions, Maslen suggests. One of its proteins, casein, has been shown to increase inflammation in people with Hashimoto’s and lupus, for example.
Don’t forget, too, that taming symptoms isn’t always a matter of removing, but adding! “Colorful vegetables and fruits are loaded with phytonutrients, many of which act as antioxidants in the body and help regulate the immune response,” Dunne says. Try planning meals around nutrient-dense plant foods like leafy greens, citrus fruits, beans, berries, and cruciferous veggies.
3. Give Your Gut a Makeover
According to Maslen, the gut is the mastermind of immune health. “There are links between intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and poor microbial diversity and pretty much all autoimmune conditions,” she notes. As such, increasing gut microbe diversity might help set the immune system on a healthier path.
Read More: 6 Questions to Help You Determine If You Need Gut Support
Fortunately, there are several simple ways to give your gut some love. Maslen recommends eating plenty of fiber to feed healthy gut bacteria, consuming probiotic foods (like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and kefir), and prioritizing plenty of anti-inflammatory nutrients. “The nutrient quercetin, found in onions, citrus fruit peels, parsley, berries, tea, peppers, and apples is both anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating,” she says. “Olive oil, garlic, fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, and spices such as turmeric also benefit those with autoimmune conditions.”
4. Focus on Sleep
Sleep and autoimmune disorders have something of a chicken-or-the-egg relationship. Some studies have found that chronic insomnia increases the risk of developing these disorders—but once autoimmunity is activated, it can disrupt sleep, too. People with neurological autoimmune conditions and autoimmune encephalitis often experience disrupted sleep from abnormal movements, while those with inflammatory AI conditions like rheumatoid arthritis might be kept awake by pain or discomfort.
Regardless of where you’re at in the sleep-autoimmunity cycle, proper rest is paramount. “Seven to eight hours every night is essential to your body’s ability to heal and function,” Maslen says. “If sleep is an issue, working on it should be a priority.” Some possibilities to boost your rest: Create a soothing nighttime routine, limit caffeine late in the day, try a sleep supplement like melatonin or tart cherry, and stick to a regular bedtime.
5. Consider Supplemental Support
Because autoimmunity is, at its most basic, a response by the immune system, supplements that support healthy, balanced immune function might be beneficial, suggests Dunne.
Read More: Millions of Americans Have Autoimmune Diseases–Could You?
One promising option is vitamin D. Some studies show that people with autoimmune conditions are more likely to be deficient in this vitamin. Meanwhile, other research shows that getting more of the “sunshine vitamin” favorably influences immune markers in the blood.
“Following a blood test, I often recommend supplementing with vitamin D plus K2, which helps with vitamin D absorption,” Dunne says. A dosage of 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 without sun exposure (or 2,000 IU plus 12 to 15 minutes of midday sun) has shown good results for supporting healthy vitamin D levels—but ask your doctor for specific guidance.
Besides D, you might consider other letters of the immune-supporting alphabet. As an antioxidant, vitamin C may support balanced immune function in people experiencing issues. Dunne cautions, though, that you might need to titrate up your supplementation slowly. “Although high doses of vitamin C are often well tolerated and can be a great immune support, they can cause diarrhea for some people,” she says. “As such, I recommend people slowly increase their vitamin C intake to determine bowel tolerance.”
If you’re curious about how nutritional and supplemental support might benefit your immune balance, check in with a holistic healthcare practitioner, like a naturopath, specializing in immune and chronic health.