Evidence Hub

Case series: raw, whole, plant-based nutrition protocol rapidly reverses symptoms in three women with systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome

Goldner B, Staffier KL

Frontiers in nutrition, 2024

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjögren's syndrome (SS) are chronic autoimmune diseases. Symptoms of SLE can vary widely but often include fatigue, pain, photosensitivity, and, in some cases, nephritis. SS is frequently characterized by extreme dry eye and mouth, resulting from damage to moisture-producing glands, and is often present in combination with SLE. While the health benefits of plant-based diets have been well-established with respect to weight and cardiometabolic outcomes, less research is available to support the role of diet in treatment and management of autoimmune disease. This case series presents three women with SLE and SS who adopted a nutrition protocol to reverse symptoms of autoimmune disease. The protocol emphasizes leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and water, and includes predominately raw foods. The three patients reported dramatic improvements in physical symptoms, with nearly all symptoms of SLE and SS resolving after 4 weeks or less of adhering to the protocol. All three patients have remained symptom-free, two of whom have remained symptom-free for 6+ years with no recent medication use. Patients and practitioners should be made aware of the promising possibility of food as medicine in the treatment of SLE and SS. Future research should explore whether dietary changes may be a potential treatment strategy for individuals suffering from severe symptoms and poor quality of life due to SLE and SS.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a case series, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free