Are People Of This Generation More Prone To Autoimmune Diseases?

Surely, we have heard of the term 'millennials’ used to describe the people, specifically, the young adults of this generation, right? Typically, a millennial is a person born between 1980 to the early 2000s.

Certain characters are associated with the people belonging to this generation, such as their sense of modernity, liberation, independence, gender equality, etc. All in all, the people belonging to this particular generation, are said to have a fast-paced life.

Now, along with all the positive things which are associated with this generation, there are certain negative things too, which could be the result of their lifestyles.

Unhealthy eating habits, extreme stress due to their work cultures, excessive use of electronic gadgets, lack of time and motivation to exercise, etc., are some of the unhealthy lifestyle habits that most people belonging to the modern generation practice, all over the globe.

Naturally, with unhealthy lifestyle comes a host of diseases, including autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune diseases are a group of diseases in which the body’s immune system starts to attack the healthy cells in the body, instead of the disease-causing cells!

So, learn some facts on how millennials are more prone to autoimmune diseases, here.

1. Types Of Autoimmune Diseases

We already read that autoimmune diseases trigger the immune system into attacking the healthy cells of the body. Some of the most prevalent autoimmune diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Sjogren’s disease, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, spondylitis, alopecia (premature blading of head), etc.

2. Women Are More Prone

After years of conducting research studies and drawing out statistics, experts are of the opinion that, even among the millennials, women are more prone to autoimmune diseases, compared to men. The US Department Of Health & Human Services has said that the women to men ratio is as big as 9:1 for some autoimmune diseases like Sjogren’s disease, as women are more susceptible to these diseases.

3. Root Causes Cannot Be Determined

With some diseases such as obesity or heart problems, it is quite easy to determine the root causes, which could be unhealthy lifestyle habits. However, in the case of most autoimmune diseases, the root causes may never be determined, although unhealthy lifestyle does play a major role. However, there have been cases of millennials with fairly healthy lifestyle habits also being affected by these diseases.

4. Environmental Factors Can Play A Role

As we know, there have been a number of negative changes happening in the environment in the past few decades, which have also been a cause of great concern to people, even health wise. Similarly, certain toxins in the polluted air, chemicals present in cleaning products, chemicals found in cosmetic products, mercury present in fish and certain kinds of meat, all of these can trigger certain autoimmune diseases in people.

5. Destruction Of Gut Bacteria

Our gut or intestinal health also plays a major role when it comes to autoimmune diseases. As we are aware, today, there are a number of delicious junk foods available, and most millennials prefer to relish them. However, the unhealthy fats and refined products present in these foods can destroy the healthy bacteria, which line your gut. This process can also lead to the development of certain autoimmune diseases.

6. Difficult To Diagnose

If we are affected by flu, it can be very easy to diagnose this ailment, because of the prominent symptoms. However, in the case of some diseases, including autoimmune diseases, it can be very hard to diagnose the disease early on, which may result in major complications. This is because, certain autoimmune diseases such as lupus show no signs of symptoms in the initial stages of development.

7. Arthritis Is Not Just For Old People

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, in which the tissues at the joints weaken, causing joint pain, stiffness and limited movements. It is believed that arthritis can only affect old people. However, lately, even millennials have been victims of this autoimmune disease, and arthritis has been on the rise, among all age groups in the past decade. Using electronic gadgets for too long, lack of exercise, etc., can be the cause of arthritis in youngsters.

8. High Sugar Diet Can Be A Trigger

If you are a sweet tooth who loves to gorge on cakes, sweets, donuts and the likes, think again, because, apart from causing the commonly known diseases such as obesity, cavities, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc., a diet high in sugar content can also trigger a number of autoimmune diseases. So, it is very important to keep the sugar in your diet under control.