IDEAL aims to unlock how food and gut health could improve life with lupus
Imagine a future where everyday choices – like what people eat – could shape how lupus is treated and managed. That future may be closer than ever.
Earlier this year, Lupus Therapeutics, the clinical affiliate of the Lupus Research Alliance, launched a pioneering initiative: Investigate Dietary Approaches for Lupus (IDEAL). It is the first-ever program that funds a clinical proof-of-concept pilot study evaluating how diet and the gut microbiome may influence lupus disease treatment.
A $500,000 grant has been awarded to a dynamic multidisciplinary team of experts led by Monica Guma, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Rheumatology, Autoimmunity, and Inflammation, University of California, San Diego (UCSD). They will explore how a personalized Mediterranean-based diet (Med-Diet) could impact gut health, drug metabolism, and lupus symptoms.
Diet, the Microbiome, and a New Era in Lupus Care
The gut microbiome – a vast community of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract – affects digestion, immune regulation, and overall health. Diet is one of its most powerful influences.
Although early research has hinted at connections between autoimmune disease and the microbiome, no human studies have directly examined this link in lupus. According to Dr. Guma, “Despite 2 decades of evidence in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, the role of diet and gut health in lupus has never been clinically tested.”
That changes with IDEAL.
Driven by Scientific Clinical Research – and the Lupus Community
IDEAL expands the commitment of the Lupus Research Alliance to this critical area of needed research and is based upon knowledge gathered from other therapeutic areas and feedback from the lupus community, including researchers, clinicians, people living with lupus, and their caregivers. The initiative was developed by a passionate 22-member steering committee, including multidisciplinary experts in rheumatology, immunology, nutrition, and microbiome science – in addition to people living with lupus.
Lupus Therapeutics Chief Clinical Research Officer Stacie J. Bell, PhD, explained, “The lupus community expressed deep interest in practical ways to support treatment beyond medication. IDEAL is the first step in filling that gap, funding rigorous research that could lead to dietary tools to help improve everyday quality of life for people with lupus.”
The Study: A Bold Step Toward Personalized Treatment
Entitled “The Gut Microbiota in Lupus: Drug Interactions and Dietary Interventions,” the selected study will examine how commonly prescribed lupus drugs are metabolized or processed by the body and determine which nutrients help support the right microorganisms to improve drug metabolism and effectiveness. The intervention will also be assessed for its effect on lupus outcomes.
“Lupus often requires strong medications to control symptoms, but these drugs don’t work for everyone, and many patients experience side effects,” said Dr. Guma.
Over 2 years, the team will analyze how a Mediterranean-based diet affects gut bacteria, drug processing, and disease symptoms in people with lupus.
“The goal,” said Dr. Guma, “is to pinpoint ingredients that could help patients respond better to their medications.”
“If successful, this research will shape future studies – and may lead to evidence-based dietary recommendations that improve both treatment and outcomes,” added Dr. Bell.
The Team: A Scientific and Clinical Powerhouse
Dr. Guma, the Principal Investigator (PI), is renowned for her research on anti-inflammatory diets and microbiome-driven metabolites (nutrient byproducts) that influence disease activity. She pioneered the ITIS diet, a targeted version of the Mediterranean diet for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Dr. Guma is now applying her expertise to lupus.
She is joined by a remarkable group of experts:
An Important Step Toward Solving the Lupus Puzzle
Lupus care is evolving rapidly, but one critical piece has remained underexplored: how diet and the gut microbiome might shape treatment outcomes.
IDEAL fills that void – building a future where personalization is not just about medications, but how physiology, lifestyle, and the voices of those impacted come together to improve life with lupus.
“I’m excited to get started with this important research,” said Dr. Guma. “As a physician researcher, I’ve seen firsthand what patients with lupus endure, both physically and emotionally. This study is a building block to optimizing how we treat them.”
