Lupus is a serious disease where the body’s immune system attacks itself, causing pain, fatigue, and other problems. Scientists think that what we eat might help control lupus symptoms, especially for people with certain genes. This new study will test whether eating less gluten helps lupus patients feel better and have fewer symptoms. Researchers will give 90 people with lupus either a low-gluten diet or their normal diet for 12 weeks to see which group improves more. This research is important because it’s one of the first times doctors are using genetic information to personalize diet recommendations for lupus patients.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether eating a low-gluten diet helps people with lupus (an autoimmune disease) feel better and have fewer symptoms, based on their genetic makeup.
  • Who participated: 90 adults with lupus who have specific genes (HLA-DQ2 or DQ8) that might make them sensitive to gluten. Half will eat a low-gluten diet, and half will eat normally.
  • Key finding: This is a study plan, not completed research yet. The researchers will measure whether the low-gluten diet group has less disease activity, better quality of life, less fatigue, and better sleep compared to the regular diet group after 12 weeks.
  • What it means for you: If you have lupus and carry these specific genes, this research may eventually show whether reducing gluten could help your symptoms. However, this is early-stage research, so results won’t be available for some time. Don’t make major diet changes without talking to your doctor first.

The Research Details

This is a randomized controlled trial, which is considered one of the strongest types of medical research. Researchers will randomly assign 90 lupus patients into two equal groups: one group will follow a low-gluten diet for 12 weeks, while the other group will continue eating normally. Both groups will keep taking their regular lupus medications. The study will measure outcomes at the start, after 4 weeks, and after 12 weeks by collecting blood samples, asking patients about their symptoms, and having them complete questionnaires about how they’re feeling.

The researchers chose to focus on people with specific genes (HLA-DQ2 and DQ8) because these genes are linked to celiac disease, a condition where people can’t tolerate gluten. Recent evidence suggests some lupus patients might also have trouble with gluten, so the researchers want to test if avoiding it helps. This approach is called ‘precision nutrition’—using genetic information to customize diet recommendations for individuals.

The study will track multiple health measures including disease activity (how active the lupus is), quality of life, fatigue levels, sleep quality, mood, anxiety, depression, and physical activity. This comprehensive approach helps researchers understand whether diet changes affect lupus in different ways.

This research matters because lupus is a serious, lifelong disease that affects many people, particularly women. Current treatments focus mainly on medications, but diet might offer an additional tool to help manage symptoms. By using genetic testing to identify which patients might benefit from dietary changes, doctors could eventually provide more personalized treatment plans. This is important because not everyone responds the same way to treatments, and genetic information could help identify who would benefit most from dietary changes.

This study has several strengths: it’s a randomized controlled trial (the gold standard for testing treatments), it has ethical approval from a university ethics committee, and it measures multiple outcomes rather than just one. The study is relatively small (90 people) and focuses on a specific genetic group, which means results may not apply to all lupus patients. The study is also still in the planning phase, so we don’t yet know if the results will be significant. The 12-week timeframe is relatively short, so we won’t know about long-term effects.

What the Results Show

This study has not yet been completed, so there are no results to report yet. The researchers are currently recruiting participants and planning to conduct the study. When completed, they will measure whether people eating a low-gluten diet have lower disease activity scores compared to those eating normally. They will also measure quality of life using a specific lupus questionnaire. The study will compare the two groups at weeks 4 and 12 to see if changes happen gradually or take time to appear.

The primary outcomes the researchers will examine are disease activity (measured by the Mexican Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index) and quality of life (measured by the Lupus Quality of Life questionnaire). These are important because they directly measure how much lupus is affecting patients’ daily lives and overall well-being.

The researchers will also look at secondary outcomes including fatigue, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and physical activity levels. These additional measures are important because lupus affects many aspects of health beyond just disease activity. For example, lupus patients often experience severe fatigue and sleep problems, so improvements in these areas would be meaningful even if disease activity doesn’t change dramatically.

Beyond the main outcomes, the study will track fatigue levels, sleep quality, anxiety and depression symptoms, and how much physical activity patients do. These secondary outcomes are important because lupus affects the whole body and mind, not just inflammation. Many lupus patients struggle with exhaustion and sleep problems that significantly impact their daily lives. If the low-gluten diet improves these symptoms, it could make a real difference in how patients feel day-to-day, even if blood tests don’t show major changes.

This is one of the first studies to test whether a low-gluten diet helps lupus patients specifically. Previous research has shown that diet can influence lupus symptoms, and some studies suggest that people with lupus may have higher rates of celiac disease (a gluten sensitivity). However, no published studies have used genetic testing (HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 genes) to guide dietary recommendations for lupus patients. This study is innovative because it combines two emerging ideas: that diet matters for lupus management, and that genetic information can help personalize dietary recommendations.

This study has several important limitations to understand. First, it’s relatively small with only 90 participants, so results may not apply to all lupus patients. Second, it only lasts 12 weeks, which is a short time to see long-term effects of dietary changes. Third, the study only includes people with specific genes (HLA-DQ2 or DQ8), so results won’t apply to lupus patients without these genes. Fourth, the study is being conducted in Indonesia, so results may differ in other populations with different genetics and food cultures. Finally, because this is a diet study, it’s difficult to completely hide which group is eating low-gluten food, which could influence how patients report their symptoms.

The Bottom Line

This study hasn’t been completed yet, so there are no new recommendations to follow. Current medical advice remains: if you have lupus, work with your rheumatologist and a registered dietitian before making major dietary changes. If you have both lupus and celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, reducing gluten is important. However, for lupus patients without gluten sensitivity, there’s not yet strong evidence that a low-gluten diet helps. Once this study is completed and published, it may provide new guidance for people with lupus who carry the HLA-DQ2 or DQ8 genes.

This research is most relevant to people with lupus who have the HLA-DQ2 or DQ8 genes (which can be tested). It’s also important for rheumatologists and other doctors who treat lupus patients. People with lupus who also have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should definitely care about this research. However, if you have lupus without these specific genes or without gluten sensitivity, this particular study may be less directly applicable to you, though the general principles about diet and lupus may still matter. Family members of lupus patients might also be interested since lupus can run in families.

This study is still recruiting participants and hasn’t been completed yet. Based on the protocol, researchers will collect data over 12 weeks from each participant. The full study will likely take 1-2 years to complete once all participants are enrolled. After that, researchers need time to analyze the data and publish results, which typically takes several more months. So realistic timeline for seeing published results is probably 2-3 years from now. If results are positive, it would take additional time for doctors to incorporate new dietary recommendations into standard lupus care.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track weekly lupus disease activity using a simple 0-10 symptom severity scale, noting joint pain, fatigue level, rashes, and overall well-being. Also track gluten intake (grams per day) and sleep quality (hours and quality rating) to identify patterns between diet and symptoms.
  • If you have lupus and are interested in trying a low-gluten diet, start by gradually reducing gluten-containing foods (bread, pasta, cereals) over 2-3 weeks rather than eliminating them suddenly. Replace them with gluten-free alternatives and track how you feel. Use the app to log meals and symptoms daily to see if there’s a connection between what you eat and how you feel.
  • Set up weekly check-ins to review your symptom patterns and gluten intake. Create a simple dashboard showing your fatigue levels, pain scores, and sleep quality over time. Compare weeks when you ate less gluten to weeks when you ate more gluten to see if there are patterns. Share this data with your doctor at your next appointment to discuss whether dietary changes might help your specific situation.

This article describes a research study that is still in progress and has not yet produced results. The findings discussed are theoretical based on the study protocol. This information is for educational purposes only and should not be used to make medical decisions. If you have lupus or suspect you might, please consult with your rheumatologist or healthcare provider before making any dietary changes. Do not stop or change your lupus medications without medical supervision. Genetic testing for HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 should only be done under medical guidance. Always work with a registered dietitian when making significant dietary changes, especially if you have a chronic disease like lupus.