Systemic lupus erythematosus
From The Nutritional Health Bible by Linda Lazarides (1997). This free database is provided for interest only. Linda's later writings refer to more up-to-date research.
Some causative factors- Possible antioxidant deficiency
- Possible nutritional deficiencies
- Toxic overload causing auto-immunity.
Treatment with the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), sold as a dietary supplement, for 3-6 months in SLE patients with mild to moderate disease resulted in an improvement in indices for overall SLE activity. van Vollenhoven RF et al: An open study of dehydroepiandrosterone in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum 37(9):1305-10, 1994.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, treatment for 3 months with the hormone DHEA on 28 women with SLE resulted in a decrease in disease activity whereas the placebo group experienced a small increase in disease activity. van Vollenhoven RF et al: Dehydroepeiandrosterone in systemic lupus erythematosus. Results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Arthritis Rheum 38(12):1826-31, 1995.
Autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus can result from destructive enzymes which escape from lysosomes (digestive particles found inside cells) whose membranes have been damaged by lipid peroxidation (peroxidation is normally prevented by vitamin E). If these enzymes attack and denature normal tissue proteins the immune system may treat the proteins as "non-self" and initiate antibody attacks. The investigators gave large doses of vitamin E to patients with autoimmune diseases on the grounds that it is a physiological stabilizer of cellular and lysosomal membranes. Finding that lupus and several other diseases responded to the supplements, the researchers postulate that vitamin E deficiency may be involved in the onset of autoimmune diseases by promoting damage to lysosome membranes. Ayres S Jr et al: Is vitamin E involved in the autoimmune response? Cutis 21(3):321-5, 1978.