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Diet, Digestive Health, and Autoimmunity: The Foundations to an Autoimmune Disease Food Pyramid—Part 1

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... For instance, early-life exposure to infections, vaccines (39), and dietary components (40) mold the immunological memory, consequently shaping how the immune system responds to exogenous stimuli later in life (41,42). During the recent decades, the tremendous increase in the prevalence of autoimmune conditions coincides with evolving dietary and hygiene styles in Westernized societies (43), indicating a strong influence of environmental factors on autoimmunity (44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49). This is particularly important during pandemic eras since the emergence of unprecedented infections such as COVID-19 is thought to predominate among immunocompromised individuals such as those with preexisting autoimmune conditions who are also at an increased risk of COVID-19 related hospitalization (50). ...
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