Could a Healthy Fat Help Calm Autoimmune Flares?

For people living with autoimmune disease, treatment often means trade-offs: immunosuppressants that quiet inflammation but leave the body vulnerable to infections, side effects, and long-term risks. But what if there was a gentler option—one that worked with your body instead of shutting it down?

In a powerful Live from the Lab presentation, Dr. Sonia Sharma of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology introduced a lesser-known molecule called lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)—a natural fat found in the blood that may play a surprising role in how autoimmune flares begin and end.

“We observed that a specific type of LPC was uniquely reduced in patients who developed autoimmune complications,” said Dr. Sharma. Her lab discovered that when LPC levels drop, inflammatory immune cells like neutrophils spike, triggering the kind of damage seen in diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. But when LPC was added back in lab models, it helped restore balance—reducing inflammation without wiping out the immune system.

Unlike traditional treatments, “this is not a broadscale immunosuppressant,” Sharma emphasized.

“It’s a natural anti-inflammatory… turning down the flame on that autoimmunity.”

Dr. Sharma and her team are now working on a topical version of LPC designed to be used during flares, offering a faster-acting, lower-risk way to help manage symptoms and protect long-term health.

Whether you’re newly diagnosed or searching for safer ways to manage chronic inflammation, this talk offers something rare: a glimpse at where autoimmune treatment may be headed—and why early immune signals matter more than we thought.