Tag Archives: eczema

Autoimmunity and T2D

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My anecdotal experience and studies have shown me thIs:-

Glycoproteins are important on cell surfaces (extracellular matrix) they are anchored by dolichols and form an important part of the communication between tissue and immune system, with recognisable sequences of sugars deliberately assembled for the matrix. This is structural sugars in the body assembled by enzymes in the normal cellular machinery.

Glycation damaged proteins (AGE). These are exposed proteins who randomly become attached to a mono-sugar (usually glucose but recently increasingly fructose) attaching to lysine by the maillard reaction).

In cooking at oven temps this is a desirable and flavoursome reaction at some speed.

In diabetics this is a very slow (decades at body temp) degradation of lipid receptor mechanisms, elastins and collagens.

Auto-immunes and T2D

The body has a clean-up immune response to random AGE mono-sugar attack, which is overwhelmed as we age and develop T2D (over decades). The suagr damage effect is present in many tissues showing a strong immune response (arthritis, eczema) which often respond well to carbohydrate restriction and increased dietary use of ‘essential fatty acids’.

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Whilst driving to a conference in 1992 I heard a BBC Radio 4 broadcast about a medical conference in which the role of essential fatty acids in eczema and related conditions was much discussed.  Several ideas took root.   Eczema was at the extreme end of a spectrum of immune system behaviours.   Over-active immune systems caused the autoimmune diseases (eczema psoriasis inflammation arthritis etc) whilst under-active immune systems were associated with cancer and chronic infection. This was far too simplistic but the role of essential fatty acids in eczema was making sense and producing clinical improvements.  I went on to explore the relationship between essential fatty acids and other micronutrients, vitamins and minerals with general health.  No valuable patents involved here and much smoke from studies funded by pharmaceutical interests after the introduction of steroid creams.

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Adult Eczema and Essential Fatty Acids

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In the late 1970s one of our children developed a very severe Infantile Eczema which was completely cured by a 2 week camping holiday in France.   Within one hour of boarding a British Ferry for the return home the Infantile Eczema was back!   Our son had consumed a carton of ‘Orange Drink’ containing E102 Tartrazine.   Most of our consumables from France carried the ‘Sans Colorant’ (no artificial colourings) flash on their label. On hearing this story our GP confessed that the medication being used to treat the condition contained E102 Tartrazine.   We had no more infantile eczema and our GP persuaded the Pharmaceutical Company to remove E102 from that widely used infant medication. Unfortunately E102 is still added to foods on sale in the UK.

Tartrazine Molecule E102

Infantile Eczema