481 | id == 481
481 | category_id == 28
481 | category_order == 25
481 | category_name == Joint Inflammation
481 | category_color == #C47AC0
481 | slug == MYC-rheumatoid-arthritis
481 | title == Immune System Regulation in Rheumatoid Arthritis (MYC)
481 | meta_description == The MYC gene encodes c-myc, which may activate immune cells that destroy joint tissue in rheumatoid arthritis. Are you at risk?
481 | summary == <p><strong>The <em>MYC </em>gene encodes c-myc, which may activate immune cells that destroy joint tissue in rheumatoid arthritis. Are you at risk? Learn more here.</strong></p>
481 | overall_score_text == Your Arthritic Inflammation Score (based on MYC)
481 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/MYC-Rheumatoid-arthritis.jpg
481 | author_id == 1
481 | author_name == Jasmine Foster
481 | author_title == BSc, BEd
481 | author_order == 36
481 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Jasmine.jpg
481 | author_intro == <p><strong>Jasmine received her BS from McGill University and her BEd from Vancouver Island University.</strong></p>    <p>Jasmine loves helping people understand their brains and bodies, a passion that grew out of her dual background in biology and education. From the chem lab to the classroom, everyone has the right to learn and make informed decisions about their health.</p>
481 | reviewer == None
481 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
481 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
481 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
481 | publish_date == 2020
481 | publish_date == 11
481 | publish_date == 16
481 | avg_rating == 5.0
481 | tags_id == 33
481 | tags_name == Autoimmunity
481 | tags_id == 95
481 | tags_name == Immune System
481 | tags_id == 24
481 | tags_name == Inflammation
481 | tags_id == 881
481 | tags_name == MYC Gene
481 | tags_id == 82
481 | tags_name == Rheumatoid Arthritis
481 | tags_id == 442
481 | tags_name == T Cells
481 | tags_id == 232
481 | tags_name == Vitamin D
481 | permissions_favorite == False
481 | permissions_rate == False
481 | content_article == <h2><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MYC</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> encodes c-myc, an immune system regulator protein. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MYC</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may play a role in rheumatoid arthritis by activating immune cells that can destroy joint tissues. Lifestyle, diet, and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by reducing c-myc activity.</span></p> <h2><strong><em>MYC</em></strong><strong> and Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MYC </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">encodes c-myc, a proto-oncogene; that is, a gene that is often mutated in many types of cancers. C-myc is an extremely important transcriptional regulator which is believed to have an effect on the expression of 15% of all other genes [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/4609"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17928593/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to some researchers, c-myc (in its healthy, unmutated form) is a &ldquo;global regulator&rdquo; of the immune response. That means that c-myc has a very broad effect on many, if not all parts of the immune system [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5934797/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">C-myc is heavily involved in the activation of T cells and innate lymphoid cells, two types of </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/how-to-increase-and-decrease-white-blood-cells/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">white blood cells</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Innate lymphoid cells are part of the earliest immune response to many triggers [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4922420/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31833571/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/348/6237/aaa6566"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variants in the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MYC </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene have been associated with allergic diseases and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/causes-symptoms-diagnosis-risk-factors-of-multiple-sclerosis/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">multiple sclerosis</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> as well as rheumatoid arthritis. The association with both allergy and autoimmune disorders suggests that </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MYC </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">variants can lead to increased pathological inflammation [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5989923/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4922420/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944098/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/23143596"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Research suggests that c-myc supports the growth and development of cells called synovial fibroblasts, which can enter the joints and cause the destruction of cartilage [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15457447/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MYC</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> encodes c-myc, an immune system regulator that is often mutated in many types of cancer. In autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, c-myc appears to be overactive.</span></span></p> <h2><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>MYC</em></strong><strong> Results for Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p>*8830519642596024*</p> <p><strong>MYC </strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs1516971/"><strong>rs1516971</strong></a></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Associated with relatively higher rates of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Possibly protective against rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;C&rsquo; allele may reduce the activity of certain immune cells, leading to less destruction of joint tissues [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15457447/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>MYC </strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs6651252/"><strong>rs6651252</strong></a></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Not associated with rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Associated with relatively higher rates of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;C&rsquo; allele may increase the activity of certain immune cells, leading to increased destruction of joint tissues [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15457447/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></li> </ul> <p>*5506331766961057*</p> <h2><strong>Recommendations for Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p>*1213476105752686*</p> <h3><strong>Avoid Cigarettes</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Exposure to cigarette smoke increases the expression of c-myc, which may lead to increased inflammation, potential autoimmune disorders, and cancer [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5386684/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smoking is one of the strongest environmental risk factors for developing rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898190/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11085797"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An observational study of 296 people found that 88% of smokers tested positive for </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/rheumatoid-factor/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rheumatoid factor</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> over a period of 10 years. Also, the rheumatoid factor-positive group of people contained more smokers than the rheumatoid factor-negative group [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9833699"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The risk of high rheumatoid factor levels was 4 times higher in current smokers than in people who never smoked, according to an observational study of 7,124 people. In another study of 100 people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), rheumatoid factors were more than twice as high in current and former smokers than in people who never smoked [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1004225/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16403829"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smoking the equivalent of 1 pack (20 cigarettes) a day for 25 years was linked to a 3-fold increase in the risk of elevated rheumatoid factor in a study of 336 RA patients. What&rsquo;s more, rheumatoid factor levels were directly linked to the number of years smoked in two studies of 673 people with RA [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9306868"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10743800"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11085797"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Cigarette smoke increases the expression of c-myc and is one of the leading risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis.</span></p> <h3><strong>Sunlight &amp; Vitamin D</strong></h3> <p><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/35proven-health-benefits-vitamin-d-part-1/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vitamin D</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> appears to reduce c-myc activity. Once activated, the vitamin D receptor </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/blog/article/vdr-longevity-85"><span style="font-weight: 400;">VDR</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> can bind to a region of DNA that lowers the expression of the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">MYC </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">gene. </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/avoiding-sun-will-kill-14-proven-science-based-health-benefits-sun/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunlight</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and vitamin D have been studied for their potential to suppress some types of cancer for that reason, but this action may also benefit people with rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://www.hindawi.com/journals/apm/2011/281863/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/35proven-health-benefits-vitamin-d-part-1/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vitamin D</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> deficiency is more common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis than in the general population [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3539179/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A study of nurses found that those with greater exposure to UVB rays from the </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/avoiding-sun-will-kill-14-proven-science-based-health-benefits-sun/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">sun</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> had the lowest rates of rheumatoid arthritis. Another study found that people who live further from the equator (who are likely to be exposed to less </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/avoiding-sun-will-kill-14-proven-science-based-health-benefits-sun/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">sunlight</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on average) are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3678095/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2920915/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to multiple studies, people with a higher intake of vitamin D appear less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis. However, there are conflicting reports on whether supplementing with vitamin D can improve </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/pain-management/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">pain</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in existing rheumatoid arthritis cases [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14730601/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466211/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22004229/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Sunlight reduces c-myc activity through vitamin D. Both UVB exposure and vitamin D have also been linked to lower rates of rheumatoid arthritis.</span></p> <h3><strong>Garlic</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An active compound found in </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/garlic-health-benefits/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">garlic</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">S</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), blocked c-myc activity in a cell study. It is unclear whether garlic as a whole might have a similar effect in an animal or human, however [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6090075/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a study of 70 women with rheumatoid arthritis, those who consumed supplementary </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/garlic-health-benefits/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">garlic</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> had improved antioxidant status, pain scores, and general quality of life compared to those who were given a placebo. The effects were apparent at doses of 500 mg of garlic per day, which could be achieved through diet or supplements [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32159257/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Garlic may reduce c-myc activity and has been found to improve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.</span></p> <h3><strong>Black Seed Oil</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thymoquinone, an active compound found in </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/top-28-scientific-benefits-of-the-panacea-black-cumin-seed-nigella-sativa/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">black seed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> oil, reduced c-myc activity in mice [</span><a href="https://molecular-cancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-4598-12-41"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thymoquinone, an active component of </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/top-28-scientific-benefits-of-the-panacea-black-cumin-seed-nigella-sativa/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">black seed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, reduced symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in a study of 40 female patients, at a dose of 500 mg of the oil twice per day. Women who took black seed oil experienced reduced overall symptoms, joint stiffness, and swelling [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22162258"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In rats with arthritis, the active ingredient, thymoquinone lowered numerous pro-inflammatory cytokines (including </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/interleukin-6/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IL-6</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/interleukin-1/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IL-1&beta;</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/blog/article/tnf-longevity-86"><span style="font-weight: 400;">TNF</span></a><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/supplements-lifestyle-factors-influence-tnf-interleukin-6-il-6/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> alpha</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, all </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/supplements-people-th1-dominant/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Th1</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> cytokines) while increasing anti-inflammatory ones (</span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/il-10/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IL-10</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">) [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22450443"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Thymoquinone from black seed reduced c-myc activity in mice and may reduce inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis.</span></p>
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481 | content_learn_more_5506331766961057_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your MYC gene is somewhat associated with the destruction of joint tissues. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of rheumatoid arthritis; it’s just one gene related to it. Sunlight, garlic, and black seed oil may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
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rsIDs = rs6651252,rs1516971
rsStatus = rs6651252,LINC00824,chr8,128554935,T,C,,,22,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs1516971,LINC00824,chr8,128529854,T,C,,,21,0,Normal
