Eating a Restricted Diet And Still Experiencing Symptoms? You could have something called “loss or oral tolerance”. The good news is you don’t have to live a restrictive diet forever, in fact just the opposite.
Loss of oral tolerance What is it?
When we lose oral tolerance, our immune system overreacts to dietary proteins and treats them as if they are foreign invaders as a result we can develop an increase in food sensitivities.
Loss of oral tolerance is very common with chronic illness and autoimmunity, and is the foundation of food sensitivities.
Your gastrointestinal tract holds over 70% of your immune system. As soon as you make your way down the birth canal and are exposed via mouth and nose to the bacteria that reside there your gut microbiome begins to rapidly populate. After birth, oral tolerecne develops as you grow and begin to eat. The immune tissue in your gut registers each new type of food you eat but won’t necessarily react to it. As you begin to introduce more foods, you develop oral tolerance. As your diet expands to include more and more foods, the population of healthy bacteria in your gut becomes more diverse which helps your gut and your immune system stay healthy.
When we lose oral tolerance, our immune system overreacts to dietary proteins and treats them as if they are foreign invaders.
Loss of oral tolerance is very common with chronic illness and autoimmunity, and is the foundation of food sensitivities.
How do I know if I have a loss of oral tolerance?
- Do you have an increase in food sensitivities?
- Do you have less common food sensitivities such as sensitivities to fruit or leafy greens?
- Do you have issues with digestion or low stomach acid
- Do you experience brain fog after meals?
- Do you have high levels of inflammation or have you been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition?
- Do you have a restrictive diet or limited set of foods
- Do you have a hard time controlling an autoimmune condition despite dietary changes and treatment?
If you answered yes to more then 2 of these questions there is a high probability you have a loss of oral tolerance.
Causes of loss of oral tolerance
Below are a few reasons why someone might develop a loss of oral tolerance. This approach suggests that healing from digestive symptoms is multifactorial and not necessarily as simple as removing a food you might be reacting to.
- Gut microbiome dysbiosis
- A loss of diversity with diet can result in a loss of diversity of healthy gut microbes
- Immune dysregulation
- Over reactive or under reactive immune cells such as dendritic cells over reacting to foods, or low low sIgA under reacting in the presence of pathogens which are antibodies lining the intestinal lining
- Liver health
- The dendritic cells carry proteins to the liver. There, the liver cells specifically “Kupffer cells” can trigger inflammation if the liver is toxic or has poor detoxification function. For some people, managing loss of oral tolerance depends on supporting liver function and detoxification.
- The dendritic cells carry proteins to the liver. There, the liver cells specifically “Kupffer cells” can trigger inflammation if the liver is toxic or has poor detoxification function. For some people, managing loss of oral tolerance depends on supporting liver function and detoxification.
- Toxins such as pesticides, herbicides mold, glyphosphates can injure the cell lining
- Histamine intolerance
- Histamine reactions occur when antibodies that tag a protein as immune reactive also activate mast cells, the immune cells that release histamine. Foods that commonly trigger a histamine response include aged and fermented foods, smoked foods, fish, and seafood (especially canned).
- Hormone health
- Chronic stress is one of the most common causes of hormone imbalances. Increased production of the adrenal hormones cortisol and catecholamines suppresses SIgA cells and intestinal immunity, thus creating an environment for bacterial overgrowth and loss of oral tolerance
How to Restore Oral Tolerance
This is a multi systems approach that addresses the underlying factors listed above. Here are a few places to begin with healing oral tolerance
- Eat a variety of different fruits and vegetables (more so vegetables). A diversified plant-based diet will help in restoring your gut microbiome. Healing your gut microbiome is not just about taking out the foods that you are sensitive but making sure you rotate the foods you do eat. Each vegetable will feed a different type of beneficial bacteria that in term will help combat inflammation and restore immune tolerance.
- Reduce Stress
Identify and modify your stressors to help keep your gut in check- A few ways to combat stress include:
- Prioritizing sleep
- Stepping outside into nature
- Do things you enjoy
- Take a quick break to breath and stretch
- A few ways to combat stress include:
- Support immune system
- Specifically support T regulatory cells Regulatory T cells (T reg cells) decide whether the immune system needs to mount an inflammatory response to a protein the dendritic cells have transported to the lymphatic system. Because the lymphatic system travels throughout body, this inflammatory immune response can cause inflammation anywhere in the body. Fortunately, we can profoundly influence T reg cells to dampen the inflammatory response.
Factors that can improve T reg cell function to prevent inflammation include:- Glutathione: Glutathione recycling; s-acetylglutathione; reduced glutathione; oral and topical liposomal glutathione; and glutathione nebulizer, IV, or suppository.
- Vitamin D
- Omega-3 fatty acids: A healthy balance of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids is necessary for healthy T reg cell function. Most people get too much omega 6 oils through processed foods. A healthy dietary intake of omega-3 is 3500 mg for a person eating 2,000 calories per day. In addition to dietary sources, fish, emu, and algae oil are supplement sources of omega-3.
- Short chain fatty acids (SCFA): SCFA supplementation is good for those whose produce consumption is limited due to SIBO or other digestive factors. You may also want to supplement for additional benefit.
- Specifically support T regulatory cells Regulatory T cells (T reg cells) decide whether the immune system needs to mount an inflammatory response to a protein the dendritic cells have transported to the lymphatic system. Because the lymphatic system travels throughout body, this inflammatory immune response can cause inflammation anywhere in the body. Fortunately, we can profoundly influence T reg cells to dampen the inflammatory response.
You may need to address underlying factors listed above to fully help restore oral tolerance. Each approach should be individualized to best suit your needs.
Interested in addressing your oral tolerance? You can click the link below to book an appointment with Dr. Naomi Demian ND today!