What Scientific Evidence Shows About Psoriasis And Diet
Perhaps the most compelling data on the link between psoriasis and diet comes from a 2017 dietary behavioral study published in Dermatology Therapies. The goal of the study was to examine how dietary habits and interventions adopted by psoriasis patients impacted their skin. To do so, the authors administered a 61-question survey to members of the National Psoriasis Foundation. They received 1,206 responses.
Based on those responses, these foods commonly trigger psoriasis flare-ups:
- Dairy
Respondents also mentioned some specific food groups that they found helped to improve their psoriasis symptoms, including:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Fish
Furthermore, the survey showed that 69% percent of respondents who adopted a psoriasis diet plan experienced weight loss, which scientific evidence shows can be a key part of relieving symptoms of psoriasis for overweight patients.
Can You Cure Psoriasis Through Diet
Unfortunately, we cant cure psoriasis through diet. In fact, there isnt any cure for psoriasis. But in addition to diet, there are ways to manage the condition.
Exercise is good for your immune system, and can also help promote weight loss because of the calories that you burn, says Dr. Fernandez. Wellness, in general, is good to strive for. Strategies such as eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep are all keys to help minimize the chances youre going to flare.
Dr. Fernandez notes that certain people improve so much with diet and exercise that they dont need medication. But we think of that as more the exception, and we certainly dont say thats all you need to do, he stresses, noting that neither exercise nor diet, in general, are recommended as sole alternatives to medications.
For some people, the improvements they see through exercise and diet might mean all they need is a topical medicine to control psoriasis, as opposed to a pill or an injectable medicine that affects their immune system systemically and can come with other side effects, says Dr. Fernandez.
And, chances are, people with moderate to severe psoriasis will likely always need medication, he adds. However, we do believe we can minimize the medications you need to take through wellness and diet.
Scots Student ‘cures’ Painful Psoriasis In Weeks With Plant
Caitlin Constantine, 20, said she developed psoriasis in November 2018 due to the stress of moving to the city from the countryside.
A student devastated when a skin condition covered 90% of her face in itchy patches claims she cleared it up within weeks – thanks to celery smoothies.
Caitlin Constantine, 20, said she developed psoriasis in November 2018 due to the stress of moving to the city from the countryside.
What started as small itchy patches on the beauty student’s face rapidly became bleeding sores which were extremely hard not to scratch.
Within a couple of months bleeding sore patches had spread all over her face and the then 17-year-old felt so self conscious she couldn’t bear for people to look at her.
Treatments provided by specialist doctors didn’t help, and she became so low she stopped going out – and even avoiding going to class.
In desperation the distressed teenager took to to search for a cure for her skin condition in March 2019.
There she found a video about a plant-based diet which included drinking the juice of a whole head of celery first thing every day.
The YouTuber who posted it said this diet had helped him to manage his own difficult case of psoriasis.
Read More
Related Articles
Caitlin fully embraced the diet, and her boyfriend Jim Banner, 22, a chef, helped cook up celery-heavy recipes as well as the daily smoothies.
Read More
You May Like: How To Boost Immune System To Fight Psoriasis
Evidence Of The Carnivore Diets Potential To Fix Psoriasis
There is no published research on the ability of the carnivore diet to fix psoriasis, however, there is some evidence that a low-carb diet can help with psoriasis. Although the diets used in these studies are
In addition, there is some anecdotal evidence of people using the carnivore diet to put psoriasis in remission.
Below is a summary of the evidence.
Castaldo et al
This paper reports a case of a woman in her 40s suffering from relapsing moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and obesity-related metabolic syndrome. The patient had previously been treated successfully with biological therapy but suffered a relapse.
Before considering the use of higher doses of the ongoing biologic therapy or switching to a second-line biologic agent, the patient was put on a very low-calorie, carbohydrate-free, protein-based diet for 4 weeks.
The patient was prescribed a nutritional formula containing a fixed amount of branched-chain amino acids , glutamine , and milk proteins in order to reach a total protein content of 1.2 g per kilogram of ideal body weight with a total calorie of 300kcal/day.
The patient was then asked to adhere to a low-calorie, normal-protein diet for 6 weeks before undergoing a second 4-week cycle of the very low-calorie, carbohydrate-free, protein-based diet.
Castaldo et al
This study is similar to the above study but of a larger scale. It involved 37 overweight or obese psoriasis patients who were never treated with drugs except for the use of topical emollients.
Psoriasis And Sleep How Important Is It
Psoriasis is a skin condition that affects the skin in a way that causes red, scaling, and inflamed patches. The patches can be quite large and can interfere with a persons daily life. Psoriasis is often classified as a autoimmune disorder. This means that the bodys own immune system is attacking the skin. Sleep is important for the body because it helps the body to heal and rejuvenate. In addition, sleep helps the body to produce new cells. When the body is not able to produce new cells, it can lead to skin diseases, such as psoriasis. There are many things that can affect a persons sleep, including stress, anxiety, and depression. These conditions can lead to an inability to get a good nights sleep. Poor sleep can also lead
You May Like: What Is The Treatment For Psoriasis
‘i Decided To Stop Using All Topical Psoriasis Treatments’
Instead, I changed my diet. I decided to eliminate any potentially inflammatory foods: all animal products, as well as processed sugar, alcohol, gluten, and nightshades . It wouldnt be easy, but the image in my mind of clear and comfortable skin was absolutely worth it.
Ill admit, it sounded restrictive when I was deciding to do it. My diet before this had been full of bread, pasta, sandwiches, and really anything I could grab during busy days. Plus, I wasn’t exactly excited about giving up alcohol. I loved going to bars with my friends and having a few glasses of wine to wind down.
Still, I knew I had to jump in head first if I was going to stick with this new plan. So I started my new diet:
- For breakfast, I drank a green juice every day. I juiced spinach, kale, and apples or pears to add some sweetness.
- For lunch, I usually made a big salad with veggies I had on hand and avocado.
- For dinner, I rotated a few easy, go-to meals . One of my easy go-to meals is vegetable stir fry with chickpeas and lentils.
- I still indulged my sweet tooth by making desserts like cheesecake with cashews and coconut milk.
Seeds Nuts And Other Plant
If you prefer to stick to a plant-based diet, it’s still possible to provide your body with plenty of omega-3 fatty acids.
Flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds are remarkably good sources of these essential fatty acids, as are walnuts. Just 1/4 of a cup of walnuts can provide more than 100% of your recommended daily allowance for omega-3s.
Other heart-healthy options for plant-based fats include olive oil, coconut oil, and avocados.
Read Also: Is Plaque Psoriasis An Autoimmune Disease
What Are The Current Treatments For Psoriasis
Currently, there is no effective cure for psoriasis. Available treatments aim to control the condition include:
- Topical therapy. This is used in mild to moderate psoriasis and includes emollients and moisturizers. Topical agents used are coal tar, dithranol, corticosteroids, vitamin D analog, and retinoids treatments
- . In this therapy, your skin is exposed to certain types of ultraviolet light and narrowband UVB light on a regular basis
- Systematic drugs. These are oral and injected medications that work throughout the entire body and are used in moderate to severe cases. Common drugs are methotrexate , ciclosporin , acitretin , and apremilast and dimethyl fumarate . All of these drugs have potentially serious side effects
- Biological treatments. These are manufactured proteins that interrupt the immune process in psoriasis which are infliximab, adalimumab, etanercept, and interleukin antagonists.
What Foods Might Help
There is no scientific evidence that a specific diet or food can treat, cure, or prevent the symptoms of psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. However, foods that decrease inflammation, like those in an anti-inflammatory diet, may offer benefits. A healthy diet may also reduce the risk of comorbid conditions associated with psoriasis, such as heart disease and diabetes.
MyPsoriasisTeam members have shared how an anti-inflammatory diet has helped them. I have been incorporating more anti-inflammatory foods. Pineapple, turmeric, ginger, and tart cherry have all been helpful, said one member.
Another emphasized the important role of diet in symptom management. I am keeping a very strict anti-inflammatory diet, they said. If I go off of it just a little bit, the symptoms come back quickly.
While youre looking at specific foods, consider also looking at your diet as a whole and determining whether changes to support a healthy weight are needed. Being overweight or obese can make psoriasis more severe, but weight loss can improve response to systemic psoriasis therapies and lessen disease severity.
Recommended Reading: Medicated Shampoo For Scalp Psoriasis
> > > Best Psoriasis Cure Available
3. To help safeguard the skin, the immune system release chemicals that can cause nerves to itch and blood vessels to dilate to prepare the skin for a sudden rush of immune cells
4. When the immune cells arrive at the scene, most work to kill off the pathogens causing the distress, but a few capture some of the invaders and take them back to the heart of the immune system, where other soldier cells are produced in a way to recognize and attack the invading cells on contact
5. Inflammation is the bodys way of opening blood vessels to allow more soldier cells to rush to the battlefield.
While this entire process is completely normal, people with psoriasis tend to overproduce these soldier cells when the body feels threatened. This overabundance of killer immune cells can actually be dangerous to the skin since they begin to attack good cells along with the bad ones.
While it is great to finally understand the impact an improperly working immune system can have on your skin and cause psoriasis more research is needed to pinpoint the exact cause for the over-firing of the cell messages. Plant-based Diet for Psoriasis
Do Vegans Have Better Skin
There is no hidden formula in a vegan diet, by fact vegan diet requires you to eat greens and fruits, opposing to dairy, meat and other processed stuff.
Just this alone will boost the skin health of every vegan who does it as a lifestyle.
The intake of those healthy foods will increase the consumption of many natural antioxidants, who in return fight free radicals and promote better skin appearance.
The general impact that a vegan will get on their skin, comes directly from their eating habits and their general lifestyle.
You May Like: Best Body Lotion For Psoriasis
Why The Focus On Inflammation
If you have psoriatic disease, you know that psoriasis is not a skin disease and psoriatic arthritis is not simply a joint disease. Psoriatic disease is associated with systemic inflammation â inflammation throughout the body â that puts people with psoriasis or PsA at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and other related health conditions, called comorbidities.
To treat psoriatic disease properly, you have to treat the underlying systemic inflammation, making foods that may reduce inflammation of particular interest for people with this chronic disease. Food is not a treatment in and of itself, but diet can be beneficial. You should consult a qualified health care provider about the appropriate treatment for your own experience of psoriatic disease and how diet can be part of your treatment plan.
Healthy eating, including an overall balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates from sources like fish, beans, avocado and other fruits and vegetables, may improve your overall health and may help to reduce the impact or frequency of your psoriatic disease symptoms. However, everyone reacts to food differently, so remember to work with your health care provider before changing your diet.
- Fatty fishâsalmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines
- Fruitâstrawberries, blueberries, cherries and oranges
Can Psoriasis Go Away
Psoriasis is a chronic condition, which means that once you have it, you may not be able to cure it. However, its possible to make psoriasis symptoms go into remissions. What this means is that your symptoms may disappear and may not come back, until, of course, triggered by one of the triggers.
Your diet can play an extremely important role in psoriasis remissions. While there arent many studies proving this, we have seen success stories from people who switched to a plant-based diet. The story of one psoriasis arthritis patient is a glimmer of hope for many following a whole-food plant-based diet.
In order to see positive results, you really have to commit to these lifestyle changes. You should stay away from smoking and alcohol. Physical activity can also help balance your overall health, keeping psoriasis in check.
Usually, topical medication can help with controlling flare ups and getting rid of the itch. However, your goal should be to send psoriasis into remission, so you stop needing the steroids at all.
Keeping your skin moisturized and hydrated is also equally important, as dry weather can cause dry skin, activating psoriasis. Drink plenty of water during the day to keep the skin and body hydrated.
Also Check: Does Smoking Make Psoriasis Worse
‘it Took Longer Than I’d Expected To See Any Changes To My Skin’
I was disappointed to not see immediate results, but a lot of bloggers I followed who tried clean eating said it took a while for their psoriasis to clear up to change. So I stayed the course.
But then, 13 days after I started, I woke up fully rested. This might not sound like a huge deal, but I realized that for the first night in years, I hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night itching. My skin started to look a little less red and a little more pink at this point, too. It was a small change, but it motivated me to keep going.
Over the course of the next two weeks, my skin became clearer and clearer. First, my arms started to look and feel smooth, and they no longer itched. I could finally wear short sleeves without feeling self-conscious about my skin.
Soon after, my legs cleared up too, and I could wear the shorts, skirts, and dresses I had never felt comfortable enough to wear. After three months of my new diet, I was completely psoriasis-free. No ointments, creams, or skin treatments necessary. I felt like a new person, with my confidence higher than it ever had been.
Psoriasis And Antioxidants Are They Really Helpful
Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes patches of red, inflamed skin. The National Institutes of Health estimates that about 1.5 million people in the United States have psoriasis.
Some people think that psoriasis is caused by a deficiency in certain antioxidants. This is not true. Psoriasis is not caused by a lack of antioxidants.
The National Psoriasis Foundation does not endorse antioxidant supplements for the treatment of psoriasis. There is no evidence that antioxidants can help relieve psoriasis symptoms.
Antioxidants can help to prevent some diseases, but they cannot cure psoriasis.
You May Like: Mg217 Psoriasis Multi Symptom Moisturizing Cream
What Foods Should You Avoid When You Have Psoriasis
Its common to see lists of specific trigger foods to shy away from if you have psoriasis. But following those restrictions typically isnt necessary, says Dr. Fernandez. In general, we do not recommend that people living with psoriasis avoid a specific food. In many cases, thats because theres no scientific evidence that certain foods are a psoriasis trigger. For example, Dr. Fernandez notes theres no proof that eggs can cause a flare.
But occasionally, you might feel that eating certain foods does affect your psoriasis. We certainly see people who come in and say, I feel like whenever I eat this certain type of food, my psoriasis flares, says Dr. Fernandez.
In a case like that, you might need to pay more attention to how you feel when you eat this food, or avoid it altogether, and see if it makes a difference over time. Were always open to experimenting with simple, safe things like that, says Dr. Fernandez. Everyones unique and may have a unique trigger for their disease. Well take it seriously if brought up.
With all that being said, Dr. Fernandez notes there are broad categories of foods that can make psoriasis act up.
Be Intentional About Learning Recipes
Typically, people face roadblocks in adapting to new diets when they dont plan far enough ahead. For the first few days or weeks, it will be easy to stick to a new diet. Everything is new, after all, and anything new is exciting. However, the novelty wears off, and if you keep eating the same five vegan meals you will quickly grow tired of your diet.
Seek out new vegan recipes for yourself, and incorporate them into your meal planning. Most of us cannot afford personal chefs, so we must take it upon ourselves to find and explore new recipes. Remember to treat yourself, too: include recipes for vegan desserts, or versions of meat-based foods you used to eat. Dont consider it a chore and instead consider it an exciting new hobby. This will make the process much easier and less stressful.
Recommended Reading: Get Rid Of Psoriasis On Face