Obesity pinpointed as autoimmune diseases triggering cause

A new research has revealed that obesity plays a major role in triggering autoimmune diseases like Crohn's Disease and multiple sclerosis, in which the immune system attacks its own body rather than predatory invaders.

The study at Tel Aviv University shows that obesity leads to a breakdown of the body's protective self-tolerance, creating the optimal environment for autoimmune diseases, and generates a pro-inflammatory environment likely to worsen the disease's progression and hinder its treatment.

Researcher Yehuda Shoenfeld said that they've been aware of a long list of causes of autoimmune disorders, which are infections, smoking, pesticides, lack of vitamins, and so forth, but in last five years, a new factor has emerged that cannot be ignored: obesity.

Shoenfeld added that according to the World Health Organization, approximately 35 percent of the global community is overweight or obese, and more than ten autoimmune diseases are known to be associated with increased weight.

Shoenfeld concluded that so it's critical to investigate obesity's involvement in the pathology of such diseases.

The study is published in Autoimmunity Reviews.