New Research Shows Certain Vegetables May Delay the Onset and Reduce the Severity of Lupus

New Research Shows Certain Vegetables May Delay the Onset and Reduce the Severity of Lupus:

Scientists find that a compound abundant in broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage may help fight disease that affects 1.5 million Americans

A team of scientists from the North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Research Institute have discovered that a compound found in abundance in the cruciferous family of vegetables delays the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in mice and reduces the severity of the disease once it has developed. This could be good news for individuals at risk for lupus, especially women, as well as those already affected by it.

Published today in the Journal of Nutrition, the study led by Karen Auborn, PhD, evaluated the effect of a supplement of indole-3-carbinol (I3C) - the compound found in broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and similar vegetables - on the outcome of SLE in mice that are bred to develop the disease genetically. The results showed that mice with lupus lived significantly longer when fed the supplemented diet than did diseased mice fed the normal diet. Some even lived the normal lifespan.

Whether the mice were started on the I3C diet before or after the onset of the disease, the result was the same: there were fewer kidney problems (kidney disease is one of main complications of SLE) and they lived much longer than the control group.

"Mice are not people, of course, but the implication is that a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables could do much to ameliorate the disease," said Dr. Auborn. The findings support the view that I3C may benefit people at risk for SLE as well as those in the early stages of the disease. SLE is often treated with immunosuppressive drugs, which can have serious toxic side effects. By reducing the severity of the disease, I3C may allow a decrease in the dose of immunosuppressive drugs required, thereby reducing toxicity. It may even help prevent the recurrence of the disease.

A person could get the human equivalent dose of I3C tested in the study from about a third to a half of a head of cabbage. So getting the proper amount of I3C from food is realistic, although I3C also is available on the market as a dietary supplement.

According to the Lupus Foundation of America, approximately 1.5 million Americans suffer from some form of lupus, of which SLE is the most common. While it is unknown why women are nine times more likely to develop the disease than men, it is suspected that estrogen plays a role. Research has shown that women with SLE have abnormal estrogen metabolism. In many cancer prevention studies, I3C has been shown to exhibit antiestrogenic activity in the body. The North Shore-LIJ investigators had theorized that because I3C is an antiestrogen, it may prevent, delay, or even represent an adjunct treatment for lupus. They were right, at least for mice that genetically develop lupus.

The North Shore-LIJ Research Institute is planning a human study of the effects of I3C on SLE. Nicholas Chiorazzi, MD, a world-renowned rheumatologist and member of the study team, is working closely with Richard A. Furie, MD, chief of rheumatology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, to make this a reality.

"It will be essential to determine if I3C can have similar effects in patients with SLE. Such studies are more difficult in humans because individual patients with lupus differ in their genetic backgrounds and also because the effects of lupus vary greatly from person to person, at least as far as the organs targeted by the problem," said Dr. Chiorazzi, who is also director and CEO of the North Shore-LIJ Research Institute.

This research was supported by grants from the Ryan Caulfield Foundation, the Willa and Robert Bernhard Fund, and the National Institutes of Health.

About the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Research Institute The North Shore-LIJ Research Institute is among the top seven percent of institutions nationally that receive funding from the National Institutes of Health. Building on its strengths in immunology and inflammation, oncology and cell biology, human genetics, and neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, its goal is to understand the biological processes that underlie various diseases and translate this knowledge into new tools for diagnosis and treatment.

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This information is for "informational purposes" and is not meant to be used for medical diagnosis. Always consult your physician on matters such as this.