AN INVESTIGATION ON THE EVOLUTION OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE, SPECIFICALLY CROHNS DISEASE

Stephen Palma-MarinaroPeriod 16/11/13

Ancient Lifestyle and Diet

Westernized diet

Non-Westernized Diet Low Blood Pressure Excellent Insulin

Sensitivity Lower Body Mass

Index Lower waist/Height

ratio Better Visual

Activity Lower Fracture

Rates Better Bone health

Industrial Revolution 1760-1830 Rise of Factories Separation of

household and plant

Autoimmune Diseases

Crohn’s Disease Autoimmune disease that produces an

inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Genetics

NOD2 gene defect Bacterial flora of gut

Mycobacterium avium Paratuberculosis(MAP)

Bacteroides Smoking Stress Diet*

Crohn’s Disease

400,000-500,000 cases of Crohn’s disease in the U.S.A. 2007 reports highest incidence rates in: New Zealand,

Canada, Scotland, France, Netherlands and Scandinavia.

Sign/ Symptom DescriptionDiarrhea Typically 4 episodes

per day.Abdominal pain

or crampingModerate to severe

tendernessBlood in stool PresentWeight loss/

anorexiaCommon due to poor digestion & intestinal

absorptionAppetite Decreased

Risk of colon cancer

Increased(Head & Jurenka, 2003)

(Economoua & Pappas, 2007)

Link Between Modern Diet and Crohn’s

Autoimmune diseases are rare or virtually absent in

hunter-gatherers and non-westernized populations.

Treatments for Crohn’s Disease

Conventional Treatments:Surgery, Elemental Diet, Antibiotics, Corticosteroids

Works Cited American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc. http://goo.gl/maps/PeQgE (accessed 27 November 2012). Andoh, A., H. Imaeda., T. Aomatsu., O. Inatomi., S. Bamba., M. Sasaki., Y. Saito., TTsujikawa.

And Y. Fuhiyama. 2011. Comparison of the fecal microbiota profiles between ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Journal of Gastroenterology 46:479-486. Bach, J.F.? 2002. Increasing rate of Crohn's Disease and other immune disorders. New England

Journal of Medicine 347:911-920. Baylor College of Medicine. The Human Microbiome Project. http://www.bcm.edu/molvir/microbiome (5 December 2012). Hermon-Taylor, J. 2001. Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis: the nature of the problem. Food Control 12:331-334. Lindeberg S. 2010. Food and Western Disease: Health and Nutrition from an Evolutionary Perspective. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. United States National Library of Medicine. Immune Response. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000821.htm (accessed 28 November

2012).