A team of researchers at the Tel Aviv University report the role of obesity as a major risk factor triggering and maintaining autoimmune diseases, such as Crohn’s Disease and multiple sclerosis. The study was published in Autoimmunity Reviews.
In autoimmune diseases, the immune system reacts against the body — a condition that is estimated to affect 5 to 20% of the global population. Obesity, the authors report, is a condition that disrupts the body homeostasis leading to a hyper-reactive state that determines the onset of autoimmune diseases and, by generating a pro-inflammatory state, it supports its further development.
Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld, the Laura Schwarz-Kipp Chair for Research of Autoimmune Diseases at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Head of Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases at Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer noted, “We’ve been aware of a long list of causes of autoimmune disorders – infections, smoking, pesticides, lack of vitamins, and so forth. But in last five years, a new factor has emerged that cannot be ignored: obesity. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 35% of the global community is overweight or obese, and more than ten autoimmune diseases are known to be associated with increased weight. So it’s critical to investigate obesity’s involvement in the pathology of such diseases.”
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