The immune system protects every other system in the body keeping you free of parasites, fungus, and viruses that are meant to harm the body. An autoimmune disease slows down or damages the immune system and your body's first line of defense is gone.

There are many autoimmune diseases out there. Chronic fatigue syndrome, juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and even Psoriasis all fall under the autoimmune disease category. There is no real known cause for autoimmune disease, but research continues on everyday to find the cause and then a cure.

Some research has shown that autoimmune disease may be caused by the constant exposure to pollution. Chemicals plague our air quality and our water quality; both of which we need and use every day. Even the foods we eat hold many toxins like pesticides and herbicides. All these factors affect the immune system.

One other factor that can bring down the immune system is refined sugar we consume every day. Sugars can be found in sodas, syrup, chocolate, and a variety of other foods we ingest in our daily lives. Sugar is the immune systems kryptonite and can cause it to stop working properly in a matter of minutes. It takes only 30 minutes after consuming a soda or something sugary before the immune system starts to fail. This malfunction can last up to five hours before all the sugar is out of the system. If your immune system is affected by an autoimmune disease, sugar could put you in a higher risk for much more dangerous diseases and leave your body completely unable to fight off any bacteria or virus that you come in contact with.