How Diet Impacts Autoimmunity

Nutrition and the immune system are intimately linked, as nutrition can affect how immune cells respond to invading pathogens, how immune cells distinguish self from non-self, and the overall “health” of our immune system. This connection goes both ways: what we eat influences the immune system, and the immune system influences our metabolism, appetite, and nutrient absorption.

More and more research is being done to see how dietary changes can impact the management of autoimmune diseases, with many proponents advocating for the benefits of an anti-inflammatory or Mediterranean diet.

The Mediterranean diet is an anti-inflammatory diet containing olive oil, fish, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Research has found that:

• The Mediterranean diet reduces systemic inflammation and boosts thyroid health.
• Diets with high antioxidant content protect against autoimmune thyroid diseases.
• Mediterranean diets can help improve management of autoimmune diseases that are systemic and organ-specific.
• The Mediterranean diet slightly improved outcomes with multiple sclerosis (though not statistically significant).

Beyond the Mediterranean diet, other researchers have found interesting links between nutrition and immunity. This includes studies that found that iodine intake influenced thyroid autoimmunity in certain populations and that yerba mate reduced multiple sclerosis symptoms in mice.

Although genetics and other environmental factors impact the development of autoimmunity, dietary changes are highly actionable to help manage autoimmunity.

Citation

Ruggeri, R. M., Hrelia, S., & Barbalace, M. C. (2025). Nutrition and Autoimmune Diseases. Nutrients, 17(13), 2176. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17132176