Last Updated on 22nd April 2023 by Caroline Haye
If you are anything like me, you will have read and heard a lot about vitiligo and autoimmunity (As well as links between vitiligo and other autoimmune diseases like diabetes mellitus, thyroiditis, pernicious anaemia, alopecia areata, Addison disease and multiple endocrinopathy syndrome.) But you may be a bit unclear as to exactly what this means.
What is autoimmunity?
Of course, the actual cause (or, more likely, various causes) are still unclear. But most doctors categorise vitiligo as an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases occur when your immune system mistakes some part of your own body for an intruder. (e.g. Those shown in the diagram above.) In the case of vitiligo, the white patches that appear may be the result of the immune system attacking melanocytes in our skin. (These are the pigment- producing cells.) In other words, our own immune system, which is designed to protect us from infection, becomes “over-enthusiastic”. And, so it starts attacking our own healthy cells.
The question I have often asked myself in relation to autoimmune diseases is this… What is the correct way to treat such a condition? Should you strengthen your immune system? (After all, that’s what we would do for other diseases.) Or should you do the opposite and suppress your immune system? (On the basis that it is over-active)? I have asked several dermatologists and a couple of nutritionists this question in the past. But they have never given me a clear answer. I suspect this is because nobody really knows… And maybe the answer is different from one person to the next.
Is autoimmunity a balancing act?
The answer to that autoimmunity question is probably more complicated than it looks. It may not be as black and white as either strengthening or suppressing the immune system. Rather, isn’t it more likely to be a matter of stabilising and balancing it? And isn’t that more likely to return it to normal functioning?
The immune system is not an organ. It is not localised in one area of the body, but spread throughout it. However, the gastrointestinal tract contains the largest number of immune cells of your whole body. They actually account for approximately 60% of your entire immune system.
In my opinion, it is no coincidence that so many vitiligo sufferers I speak to have digestive problems. It seems logical that digestive and immune disorders often go hand-in-hand. And it also seems logical that the best way to normalise malfunctioning digestive and immune systems should be through nutrition.
Following this logic, strengthening the digestive system might be a way of balancing the immune system (and maybe vice versa). And this, in turn, might then stop attacking the body, resulting in recovery from autoimmune symptoms (in this case, vitiligo). This theory of how to deal with autoimmune conditions has a lot of support from complementary medicine… And not so much from the medical establishment. But one of its main merits, it seems to me, is that it is safe and natural. The worst that it could do is make you generally healthier. And it does not have to interfere with other, prescribed treatments.
How can we balance our immune system?
So, what should we be eating if we want to heal our digestive and immune systems? Well, this useful article lists some of the key nutrients for fighting autoimmune diseases and, interestingly, those listed all feature prominently in the nutrition regime that I used to re-pigment my vitiligo. (e.g. protein, B vitamins, antioxidants, vitamins A, E, K and D, zinc and iron. All of these, and more, are in Five a Day and Boost.) Glutamine also has a reputation for helping heal the lining of the stomach and for strengthening the immune system. And, something I did not know at the time, so does collagen, which was another of the supplements I took.
Of course, eating for digestive and immune health also means avoiding foods that are harmful to both… Like excess sugar, alcohol, caffeine and processed foods as well as any known allergens or food intolerances. (For example, many vitiligo sufferers seem to be sensitive to gluten).
So, my message in this post is this. It seems to me to be logical and common sense that one route to improving vitiligo (and other autoimmune conditions) may, in fact, be via the stomach. And my own experience certainly supports the theory.
For more on vitiligo and diet, see Eating For Vitiligo Recovery and Is A Healthy Balanced Diet Enough For Vitiligo?
8 thoughts on “Vitiligo and Autoimmunity”
I also have vitiligo for about 45 years and I tried everything, almost. I wanted to say that I also have digestive issues and think your are right about that being a possible cause of vitiligo, anyway thank you SO much for all your information you give to us……….Lynn
Thanks for your comment, Lynn. There are so many of us with digestive issues and vitiligo that I’m amazed the medical community don’t seem to have grasped that there is a link.
Last year I started getting vitiligo on my face. I was taking a fair amount of zinc prior to this happening (50 to 150mg per day). Anyways, zinc depletes copper and copper is essential for melanin production. I recently did a hair test and it showed low copper and a blood test showed low normal levels. This would make sense as the body would pull it from the tissue due to he deficiency and into the blood causing a lower tissue (hair) test result and slightly higher blood test result. Hence, I’m pretty sure, in my case, it’s due to copper deficiency.
I find it VERY interesting that the supplement Boost’s top ingredients is l-Tyrosine and copper. Tyrosine is the amino acid that helps melanin production as well as copper. Ever heard of Copper Tone sun lotion? Copper is essential for skin.
Copper and l-tyrosine are also essential for the thyroid. Many of those that have vitiligo also have thyroid issues.
It’s also interesting that another reviewer on Amazon.com, who had purchased l-tyrosine stated that his vitiigo was filling in and healing after taking 4 grams a day.
It seems like the pieces of the puzzle are coming together and it appears that copper and l-tyrosine are the main pieces of that puzzle.
Thanks for that interesting feedback, Corey. Yes – I agree with you. All the ingredients in Boost are involved in some way with the pigmentation process but l-tyrosine is the most plentiful ingredient and is the crucial amino acid in melanin production.
I have just had a close look at the label and, whilst copper is listed near the top of the ingredients, the amount per dose is just 2mg (4mg per day). However, this is quite a generous dose, given that a healthy adult probably only needs about 1.25mg a day of copper. But, as you say, there is reason to believe that many vitiligo sufferers are deficient in this mineral.
The full list of ingredients is available on this page of my site:
http://www.vitiligoprotocol.co.uk/the-supplements-that-worked-for-me.html
Hi caroline.
I have vitiligo for 22 yrs. Truely amazed by ur results. My vitiligo is quite stable covering around 10% of my body. Have the same confusion about immunity. Should we stimulate it or supress it. ?? Will taking superfood enhance the immunity( as it contains many antioxidants.) and cause the vitiligo to spread ? How to find out. Did u consult any doctor before taking the supplements? Also were ur patches stable or spreading all these years.?
Thanks for those questions, Priya. I didn’t consult a doctor before starting the supplements. Previous GP and specialist consultations had not shed any light on the cause or possible cure for my vitiligo and in my experience, doctors seem to have very little interest in supplementation so I’m afraid I would not have had any confidence in a doctor’s opinion on whether or not I should try them. I just decided to give it a try because “what was the worst that could happen? I would probably feel more energetic at the very least.” My vitiligo was already covering 80% of my body so, either way I didn’t feel I had anything to lose by experimenting.
To answer your questions about how stable my white patches were, they went through phases of stability that sometimes lasted several years but then they would start multiplying and increasing in size again. They had been stable for quite a while before I started taking the supplements.
After reading as much as I could on the subject and also noting feedback from others who have benefited from taking green superfoods, I came to the conclusion that they are a key to repigmentation. I believe it is all about bringing the immune system back into balance.
You are right to mention antioxidants – there is definitely a lot of evidence to suggest that people with vitiligo have more need of antioxidants than those with normal skin. (See my blog post http://www.thevitpro.com/vitiligo-blog/vitiligo-sufferers-are-being-bleached .)
Hello, in my first email I mentioned that I have had vitiligo for about 45 years, it is a constant battle for me. I also forgot to tell you about my other 2 health problems that may have something to do with causing vitiligo. I have hypothyroid (low thyroid hormone) that I take medicine for and I am very low in iron, almost anemic. I just thought this information might help in some way……..? Lynn
Hi again Lynn,
Yes – that is interesting. The link with hypothyroidism is well documented, as is the link with pernicious anaemia (see my post on the 19th June) but I was not aware until now that vitiligo is also associated with low levels of iron. This site has some useful information on the subject – http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081504.htm