I’m trying to unravel some things that are likely diet related – and there are a load of anti-inflammation diets as well as autoimmune protocols. The foods are essentially the same, which makes me wonder if the conditions are essentially the same too?

If I follow an autoimmune diet for a while, is it safe to assume any inflammation will disappear?

Long time ago I used an elimination process/diet to halt a crippling systemic/inflammatory disease. So – short answer is no it’s not ‘safe’ to assume, but yes it can work IME. HTH via PM. I am not a doctor, etc.

Autoimmune conditions are effectively the body’s immune system attacking its own tissues, which can cause inflammation. Best example is rheumatoid arthritis which causes inflammation in the joints.

So yes, an autoimmune and anti-inflammation ‘protocol’ might be vaguely aiming at the same thing.

Goes without saying that a lot of the evidence behind dietary influences on these is not fully established, so take anything you read with a hefty pinch of scepticism. Having said this, as long as you end up with an overall balanced, healthy diet, where’s the problem?

Normal disclaimer. Consult your doc before any major dietary changes, particularly if you have any underlying health conditions.

There’s an increasing amount of peer reviewed research into the role of the gut microbiome as the cause of inflammatory autoimmune disorders and many other serious health issues, the role that good gut bacteria and diet can play is just beginning to filter out into the medical orthodoxy.

I cut out all sugars from my diet a few years ago apart from naturally occurring sugars in fresh fruit (which I limit) and the occasional alcoholic drink :wink , Compared to how I used to eat regarding pasta/pizza tatties etc I have restricted my grain intake to one small loaf\week of heirloom grain bread so a slice of toast & avocado with my 3 scrambled eggs/mushrooms in the morning and whatever veg left over from previous night and then a vegi dish for tea (being a singleton, veggie and enjoying cooking it’s quite easy for me to be particular about what I eat).

Lots of green leafy veg, root veg, sweet potatoes, various types of mushrooms, spices such as turmeric, cumin etc, plenty of vibrant tomato based dishes and countless varieties of curry’s with cauliflower rice seems to working for me although everyone’s dietary needs are different so may not work for others. I also eat a fair amount of fermented foods such as kimchi/sauerkraut for gut heath.

Check out some of the websites/podcasts regarding inflammation by Ben Greenfield, Dr Rhonda Patrick, Aubrey Marcus, Bulletproof Radio and it may be worth your while researching Paul Stamets and his work on medicinal mushrooms for immune response.

Normal disclaimer. Consult your doc before any major dietary changes

I’d vehemently argue against this, the current nutritional training that doctors undergo is absolutely pitiful to the point of being criminal negligence and they often get less than 30hrs of very basic and woefully out of date information over the course of their study, find a well regarded and recommended nutritionist to advise you. My own doctor happily admits he knows “****-all” about the current latest nutritional studies and is very happy that I’m sorting mysel out

Dietician not nutritionist. Nutritionist is a non regulated term ie meaningless. Some may be good but there is a huge amount of quackery out there

Research is moving fairly quickly in this area so read up but use proper journals not quackery fake journals.

Have I said it yet? beware quackery on dietetics

That’s helpful everyone, thank you.

– Somafunk – am i right in thinking that way back in the mists of time you posted a pic of yourself looking absolutely ripped on a Stronglifts thread or the like?

Regardless, I think you are spot on with what you say here.

– TJ – Is it dieticians or nutritionists that pop up on the BBC Breakfast Sofa to talk twaddle about moderation? Apologists for mediocrity 😉

looking absolutely ripped on a Stronglifts thread or the like?

That has really brightened up my day 😀 , unfortunately it wasn’t me, although i used to be able to rattle off 3 laps of Kirroughtree in 6hrs on my ss so i guess i used to be pretty fit 🙁 .

I follow an anti inflammation diet to attempt to control the onset of MS which was eventually diagnosed last year after a decade of diminishing leg power in which the doctors/consultants continously laid the blame at the two times (91 & 93) i broke my spine and caused significant damage to my spinal cord – if the **** had diagnosed me correctly at some point in the last 10years then i wouldn’t be in this position as i could have started medical treatment 10 years ago to control the onset of demyelination and brain lesions, these days just standing up and taking a few steps before falling over is a **** tiresome and painful exploration into how stubborn i can be.

Initially i began to make changes to my diet back in 2014 as having a spinal cord injury i have no control over bladder/bowels and needed to self catheterise whenever i need a piss, this lead to countless rounds of Antibiotics (over 100 courses since 1991) which had totally messed up my gut microbiome, i started to feel much better over the course of a few months and gradually made small incremental changes at a time whilst keeping a food diary on everything i ate – fast forward a few years to my current situation and whilst i am now finally on Tecfidera for MS i still continue to be a food geek and explore the latest research that is available with regard to the gut micobiome.

What works for myself will not necessary work on others and i am definitely not a doctor so take what i say with healthy scepticism, if it was a cure-all for my condition then i would not be in this position but i genuinely believe it has made a very positive difference as do my MS consultants.

Is it dieticians or nutritionists that pop up on the BBC Breakfast Sofa to talk twaddle about moderation? Apologists for mediocrity

I’ve conversed with dietitians (both NHS/Private) and so called quackery private nutritionists and there are good/bad/criminally inept in all professions, the very first NHS dietititian i managed to get a consultation with was grossly overweight to the point of resembling a water filled condom.

If could only recommend one thing to improve your gut and overall health it would be to cut out processed sugar (in all forms) from your diet and restrict simple carbs.