據英國《衛報》報道，全球越來越多的人正在承受自身免疫性疾病帶來的痛苦。目前，全球自身免疫性疾病病例每年增長3%至9%。科學家認為，快餐飲食等外在因素是導致病患增加的重要原因。有證據表明快餐飲食會影響人體內的微生物群，從而引發自身免疫性疾病。
[Photo/Pexels]
倫敦弗蘭西斯克裡克研究所的兩位世界專家詹姆斯·李（James Lee）和卡羅拉· 維努埃薩（Carola Vinuesa）已經成立獨立研究小組，研究導致自身免疫性疾病的確切原因。
“Numbers of autoimmune cases began to increase about 40 years ago in the west,” Lee told the Observer. “However, we are now seeing some emerge in countries that never had such diseases before.
詹姆斯·李告訴《觀察家報》：“大約40年前，西方的自身免疫病例開始增加。然而，我們現在看到一些以前從未出現此類病患的國家出現了這種疾病。”
For example, the biggest recent increase in inflammatory bowel disease cases has been in the Middle East and east Asia. Before that they had hardly seen the disease.”
“例如，近段時間中東和東亞地區的炎性腸病病例增加最多。此前，這些地區幾乎沒有出現過這種疾病。”
Autoimmune diseases range from type 1 diabetes to rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis.In each case, the immune system gets its wires crossed and turns on healthy tissue instead of infectious agents.
自身免疫性疾病包括1型糖尿病、類風溼性關節炎、炎性腸病和多發性硬化症。上述每種疾病都會使免疫系統出現錯亂，攻擊自身健康組織而非病原體。
In the UK alone, at least 4 million people have developed such conditions, with some individuals suffering more than one. Internationally, it is now estimated that cases of autoimmune diseases are rising by between 3% and 9% a year.Most scientists believe environmental factors play a key role in this rise.
僅在英國，就有至少400萬人患上這類疾病，有些人出現不止一種病症。據估計，目前全球自身免疫性疾病病例每年增長為3%至9%。大多數科學家認為環境因素在其中發揮重要影響。
“Human genetics hasn’t altered over the past few decades,” said Lee, who was previously based at Cambridge University. “So something must be changing in the outside world in a way that is increasing our predisposition to autoimmune disease.”
此前在劍橋大學工作的李稱：“人類基因在過去幾十年裡沒有改變，因此，一定是外界發生了某種變化，使我們更容易患上自身免疫性疾病。”
This idea was backed by Vinuesa, who was previously based at the Australian National University. She pointed to changes in diet that were occurring as more and more countries adopted western-style diets and people bought more fast food.
這一想法得到了維努埃薩的支援。曾在澳大利亞國立大學工作的她指出，隨著越來越多的國家接受西式飲食，人們購買更多的快餐，飲食正在發生變化。
“Fast-food diets lack certain important ingredients, such as fibre, and evidence suggests this alteration affects a person’s microbiome – the collection of micro-organisms that we have in our gut and which play a key role in controlling various bodily functions,” Vinuesa said.
維努埃薩說：“快餐飲食缺乏某些重要營養成分，如膳食纖維，有證據表明這種飲食改變會影響人體內的微生物群（腸道微生物群），它們對調節身體各方面功能起著關鍵作用。”
[Photo/Pexels]
“These changes in our microbiomes are then triggering autoimmune diseases, of which more than 100 types have now been discovered.”
“微生物群的這些變化便會引發自身免疫性疾病，目前已經發現了100多種該型別疾病。”
Both scientists stressed that individual susceptibilities were involved in contracting such illnesses, ailments that also include celiac disease as well as lupus, which triggers inflammation and swelling and can cause damage to various organs, including the heart.
兩位科學家都強調，患自身免疫性疾病與個體的易感性有關，如乳糜瀉和紅斑狼瘡等自身免疫疾病。紅斑狼瘡可引發炎症和腫脹，並可導致心臟等各種器官受損。
“If you don’t have a certain genetic susceptibility, you won’t necessarily get an autoimmune disease, no matter how many Big Macs you eat,” said Vinuesa. “There is not a lot we can do to halt the global spread of fast-food franchises. So instead, we are trying to understand the fundamental genetic mechanisms that underpin autoimmune diseases and make some people susceptible but others not. We want to tackle the issue at that level.”
維努埃薩說：“如果你沒有某種遺傳易感性，那麼無論吃多少巨無霸，都不一定會患上自身免疫性疾病。我們無法阻止快餐連鎖店在全球擴張。因此，我們正試圖瞭解導致自身免疫疾病的基本遺傳機制，為什麼有人易感有人不易感。我們希望在遺傳機制上攻克這類疾病。”
This task is possible thanks to the development of techniques that now allow scientists to pinpoint tiny DNA differences among large numbers of individuals. In this way, it is possible to identify common genetic patterns among those suffering from an autoimmune disease.
由於技術的發展，這一目標成為可能。現在，科學家們可以精確定位大量個體之間微小的DNA差異。這樣，就有可能在患有自身免疫性疾病的人群中識別出共同的基因模式。
“Until very recently, we just didn’t have the tools to do that, but now we have this incredible power to sequence DNA on a large scale and that has changed everything,” said Lee. “When I started doing research, we knew about half a dozen DNA variants that were involved in triggering inflammatory bowel disease. Now we know of more than 250.”
李稱：“之前我們沒有辦法做到，但現在我們已經有能力來進行大規模DNA測序，這改變了一切。當我開始做研究時，我們發現了約六種DNA變異與引發炎性腸病有關。現在我們發現了250種以上有關的DNA變異。”
Lee also stressed that surging cases of autoimmune diseases across the world meant new treatments and drugs were now urgently needed more than ever before. “At present, there are no cures for autoimmune diseases, which usually develop in young people – while they are trying to complete their education, get their first job and have families,” he said.
李還強調，全球自身免疫性疾病病例的激增意味著現在比以往任何時候都迫切需要新的治療方法和藥物。他說：“目前，在年輕人努力完成學業、找到第一份工作和組建家庭的同時，自身免疫性疾病通常會在他們身上發生，但目前尚無治療方法。”
來源：衛報編輯：董靜
來源：中國日報網
