Vitamin D, omega-3s reduce autoimmune disorders
The immune system sometimes mistakenly attacks healthy cells, resulting in autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid impairment, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel. In this large study, doctors reviewed records of 25,871 men and women, average age 67, who took 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day by itself, with a placebo, or with 460 mg of EPA plus 380 mg of DHA; took the omega-3s with a placebo; or took a placebo only, for an average of 5.3 years.
Those taking vitamin D were 22 percent less likely to develop an autoimmune disease compared to placebo, and those taking omega-3s were 15 percent less likely. During the final three years of the study, those who combined vitamin D with omega-3s saw 30 percent fewer cases than placebo.
Doctors said, “Until now we have had no proven way of preventing autoimmune diseases, and now for the first time, we do.”
Reference: The BMJ; 2022, Published Online, Article ID 066452
Probiotics reduce
viral load in Covid
Doctors wanted to know if probiotics influence Covid through changes in the gut, or by interacting directly with the immune system. In this study, 293 outpatients with mild Covid symptoms took a placebo or a combination of four lactobacillus probiotic strains for 30 days.
All participants survived, none were hospitalized, with 53 percent of those taking probiotics in complete remission compared to 28 percent for placebo. The probiotics group also reported fewer days with symptoms including fever, aches, cough, shortness of breath, and gut discomfort.
The probiotics group also had higher levels of SARS-CoV-2 immune antibodies IgG and IgM, as well as lower levels of the inflammatory factor, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.
Rather than change the microbiome, probiotics activated immune antibodies in IgG and IgM that neutralized the Covid spike proteins.
Reference: Gut Microbes; 2022, Vol. 14, No. 1, Article ID 2018899