Will Losing Weight Help Psoriasis

Weight Loss Might Ease Psoriasis Study Hints

Obese people on low-calorie diet reported relief of skin symptoms, better quality of life

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 29 — People with psoriasis who lose weight could experience some relief from the symptoms of their chronic skin disease, according to a small new study.

A clinical trial based in Denmark found that obese patients with psoriasis who lost weight through a low-calorie diet experienced a significant improvement in their quality of life, compared to obese psoriasis patients who didn’t lose weight.

The patients in the weight-loss group reported less stinging and burning, were less likely to be embarrassed by unsightly lesions, and found that their condition affected their everyday life less often, said Dr. Peter Jensen, of the Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte, and colleagues.

“Our results emphasize the importance of weight loss as part of a multimodal treatment approach to effectively treat both the skin condition and its conditions in overweight patients with psoriasis,” the researchers said in the study, which was published online May 29 in the journal JAMA Dermatology.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that develops when a person’s immune system malfunctions and causes skin cells to grow too quickly. The new skin cells form in days rather than weeks and pile up on the skin’s surface, causing scaly, painful lesions.

Don’t Hesitate To Get Help

If you have trouble slimming down, see a doctor who specializes in weight or obesity management. You can ask your primary care doctor or dermatologist for a recommendation. It’s typically best to lose weight slowly over time. So be patient. And stay focused on your health rather than the scale.

“It’s motivating to know that you can do more than just take medicine to improve your psoriasis,” says Lipner.

Your Heart Will Be Healthier

According to a review published in April 2016 in the journal Arthritis Care & Research, people with psoriatic arthritis have a 43 percent higher risk of heart disease than people without the condition. If you have psoriatic arthritis, you have a higher level of inflammatory cells in your blood that can cause inflammation in your blood vessels, which can lead to atherosclerosis a buildup of plaque in artery walls. If this plaque breaks off, it can cause a blood clot, which could then lead to a heart attack or stroke. Lose weight, and you can lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol, which boosts heart health. Lowering your weight by about 10 percent over a six-month period can lower your risk for heart disease, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

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You’ll Have More Energy

It’s common for people with psoriatic arthritis to feel fatigue, and being overweight can magnify that feeling. When you’re tired, it’s harder to feel motivated to exercise. On the other hand, exercise increases energy. So, start moving, make the effort to prepare healthier meals, and work on leading a healthy lifestyle. Vigorous walking, bicycling, swimming, and playing tennis are all good exercise choices to get your heart rate up. Exercise can help you lose weight, lower inflammation, and feel better all around.

The Challenge: Extra Weight Puts Stress On Your Joints

According to Dr. Sodha, being heavier inherently puts more stress and pressure on your joints, which can lead to even more joint pain and discomfort, as well as the potential for injury and heightened inflammation during the healing process. As if that wasnt enough, if you already have psoriatic arthritis and are overweight, it also increases your risk of developing osteoarthritisa.k.a. the most common type of arthritis, which results from wear and tear.

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How Long Do You Need To Give It

If you try a gluten-free diet, it can take several months for the inflammation to subside. It is recommended that you remain completely gluten-free for at least three months, being sure to remove all sources of gluten from your diet. After three months, if you are unsure if youâve seen a benefit from eliminating gluten, try adding it back into your diet. Over the next three to four days be sure to make note of increased itching, joint pain, headaches etc. If you donât notice any benefit, you may choose to add gluten back into your diet permanently.

Talk to your doctor or a nutritionist before your try a gluten-free diet.

Why It’s Important To Maintain A Healthy Weight

If you have psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis and you are overweight, the benefits of weight loss are clear: reduced inflammation, less severe skin disease and joint pain, improved mobility and a dramatically lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and liver disease. But what is the best way to go about losing weight?

There are hundreds of websites devoted to dieting and weight loss to choose from and that is part of the problem. Almost without exception, any diet that makes promises about rapid weight loss is bogus and should be avoided.

The truth is that if you want to lose weight you need to reduce your calorie intake and increase your calorie expenditure through physical activity. However, calorie counting can be tedious. It is healthier to focus on the overall balance of your diet. This is because healthy diets tend to be lower in calories anyway and because there are many food and nutrient combinations that can be beneficial, independently of any associated weight loss.

Below you will find the key elements of a lifestyle programme that may help you to reduce weight and improve both your psoriasis related conditions and your long-term health.

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Why Being Overweight Aggravates Psoriasis

• One of the most important reasons losing weight is beneficial is the inflammation factor. Being overweight or obese means that there is an increased level of inflammation in your body, including your skin. Inflammation also increases the risk to develop heart diseases, diabetes, arthritis, some forms of cancer and other conditions.
• Some anti-psoriasis drugs- i.e. biologics appear to work better for those who have average weight compared with obese patients, according to Dr Goldenberg from Icahn School of Medicine, New York.
• Your skin lesions improve when you lose weight. A 2013 study featured in the JAMA Dermatology found that the participants who lost weight experienced an improvement in psoriasis lesions compared with those who did not lose weight.

Mediterranean Diet Requires More Research

People who follow this diet get most of their fat from extra-virgin olive oil. They also eat at least two servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit every day. Each week, they eat at least three servings of fish or seafood, beans, and nuts.

All of these foods are rich in anti-inflammatory nutrients. Because psoriasis causes inflammation throughout the body, its believed that this diet could lead to less psoriasis on your skin.

Its still too early to know whether this is true. However, one large study suggests a Mediterranean diet could help people with psoriasis. In this study, 35,735 patients were asked to answer surveys about what they ate. The researchers collected in-depth information, such as how much fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, and legumes they ate.

The patients answered these in-depth surveys three times over a six-month period.

After analyzing the results, the researchers found that the patients with severe psoriasis ate few if any foods found in the Mediterranean diet.

While this may suggest that following a Mediterranean diet can lessen the amount of psoriasis on your skin, its too soon to tell. Only about 2% of the patients in this study had psoriasis. The study also relied on people being able to recall what they ate. Sometimes, it can be difficult to remember what you ate yesterday let alone weeks ago.

Takeaway: More research is needed to know how the Mediterranean diet affects psoriasis.

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The Skin On Psoriasis

Losing weight can help psoriasis? Thats what a new study published in JAMA Dermatology online says. The study authors still arent sure why weight loss improved psoriasis in their study participants. But according to an article on the website for the National Psoriasis Foundation , weight loss may reduce obesity-induced inflammation, which can improve psoriasis.

Great news for psoriasis sufferers, right? Yes. And no.

During the study, obese patients lost weight and did experience improvement in their symptoms. However, the participants in the study who saw the greatest improvement in their psoriasis were limited to diets of 800 to 1,000 calories a day. And limiting caloric intake like that isnt usually a good idea for most peopleeven if theyre overweight. So this may not be a cure-all treatment for psoriasis sufferers.

What can we all learn from the study? That eating a healthy diet, rich in vegetables and fruits may reduce inflammation in the body, experts say. And inflammation, in addition to being a possible trigger for psoriasis outbreaks, can cause a whole host of other health problems. So whether you have psoriasis, try to make a conscious effort to eat more nutrient-rich foods and add more exercise into your routine.

If you think losing weight might help your psoriasis, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian to develop a plan that will work best for you.

Anyone can get psoriasis, but it usually occurs in adults, she says.

• Stress

What You Need To Know

As mentioned, inflammatory immune-mediated diseases, like psoriasis, increase your risk for other health complications. Being overweight further compounds your risk for diabetes and heart disease.

To minimize your risk of these related diseases, itâs important to maintain a healthy weight.

To help identify what is a healthy weight for you, calculate your body mass index . You can use this calculator from the Centers for Disease Control.

To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. People who lose weight slowly, about 1 to 2 pounds per week, are more successful at keeping the weight off. You also will burn additional calories if you increase your physical activity.

Your weight loss plan should:

• Emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
• Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.
• Contain foods low in saturated fats, avoid trans fats, limit cholesterol and salt
• Avoid refined sugars and processed foods.

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Extra Weight Can Put Stress On Your Joints Worsen Inflammation And Increase Your Risk Of Heart Disease

Trying to lose weight if you have psoriatic arthritis can feel like mission impossible. Painful joints can make it hard to get out of bed, let alone go to the gym for a good workout. And if you have psoriasis, flare-ups of skin symptoms may make some people feel uncomfortable in workout clothes. But there’s good reason several reasons, in fact to get up and get working on a weight-loss program if you have psoriatic arthritis.

Are People With Psoriasis Heavier Does Weight Loss Help Psoriasis

SomeocclusionDovonexarthritic jointsLindegardHenseler and ChristophersNaldi, et alBinazzi, et alRaychaudhuri and GrossKrueger and Duviccorrelationdonewsgrouppeople for whom weight loss may lead to a reduction of psoriasis symptomsPaganos dietfinding Jesuspeople for whom weight loss had no effect on their psoriasis symptomspsoriatic arthritisPaganos dietgluten-free dietpeople for whom weight loss may lead to worse psoriasis.arthritissteroidsteroid therapiessteroidsB-12/coal tarUVBcoal taronsetthenafterherbalstressafterUVnotThe information provided here is not medical advice. This is not a self-help web site. Seek professional advice before beginning, ending, or changing treatments for any disease or condition. See the legal info page for more information.

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What Foods Can Cause Psoriasis Flare

Studies have shown that almost two-thirds of people with psoriasis link certain foods to flare-ups of psoriasis. Foods commonly identified as psoriasis triggers are :

• Sugar

• Eggs

• Spicy foods

There is no large-scale scientific evidence that links any specific food with worsening psoriasis. But its technically challenging to study peoples reported diets.

Psoriasis affects each person differently, and this is also true for food triggers. Just because a person experiences worsening psoriasis with a certain food doesnt mean that other people will, too.

Your Rx: Minimize Your Intake Of Inflammatory Foods

Foods and bevs that are high in sugar can spark inflammation in the body, so do your best to save sweet treats and alcohol for special occasions. Speaking of alcohol: Dr. Sodha highly recommends avoiding it. You definitely want to minimize your alcohol intake as it can induce immune dysfunction, which can worsen psoriasisplus it causes weight gain, she says. If youre someone whos accustomed to drinking fairly often, try experimenting with making fun mocktails, as there are so many delicious and refreshingly alcohol-free recipes out there that are also low on sugar.

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Start With Simple Steps

No one diet has been shown to be better for psoriasis. But dermatologists say people who take a simple approach tend to have the best results for their skin and their waistlines.

Go for fruits, vegetables, nuts, and lean protein. And eat fewer processed foods. Drink lots of water, and steer clear of alcohol and soda. “Even diet soda is linked to weight gain,” says Lipner.

It may take trial and error to figure out what works for you. “Omega-3 fatty acids help with skin and overall inflammation,” says Dan Ilkovich, MD, PhD, a dermatologist at Cleveland Clinic Florida. “So I tell patients that eating fatty fish like salmon is smart.”

Lipner says some people have found cutting sugar out of their diet helps their psoriasis. “There’s no downside to trying it,” she says.

If you’re not sure how to start, talk with a dietitian who specializes in skin conditions. They can help you find a diet that’s right for you.

Obesity Makes Psoriatic Arthritis More Likely

Researchers have found that people who have psoriatic arthritis tend to have a higher body mass index than people who don’t have the disease. Researchers who looked at the BMI and waist circumference of 938 people and noted whether they had psoriasis and painful joints found that psoriatic arthritis is associated with a higher BMI and waist circumference. What’s more, being overweight can affect the severity of the disease and even treatment results, according to their findings, published in June 2016 in Advances in Dermatology and Allergology.

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Pros And Cons Of A Gluten

With a dramatic increase in the diagnosis of celiac disease and gluten intolerance in recent years, mainstream grocery stores, restaurant chains and bakeries are introducing more and more gluten-free products.

Following a gluten-free diet requires you to become educated on all the hidden sources of gluten, as well as educating loved ones. To avoid all gluten, you must read labels carefully . You need to avoid not only wheat but its derivatives: durum, graham, kamut, semolina and spelt. The same goes with barley derivatives: malt flavoring and malt vinegar, as well as rye, MSG and soy sauce. Remember, just because a food is labeled wheat-free doesnât mean itâs gluten-free.

Some manufacturers add sugar, saturated fats and preservatives to their gluten-free offerings to make them taste better, but they also add calories. Just because a diet is gluten-free it does not mean itâs calorie-free. You still need to apply the principles of a balanced diet.

On the other hand, says Jerry Bagel, M.D., director of the Psoriasis Treatment Center of Central New Jersey in East Windsor and a member of the National Psoriasis Foundation medical board, if someoneâs skin improves as a result of a gluten-free diet, itâs likely the patientâs digestive system is improving as well, and absorbing more nutrients.

Can Losing Weight Help Psoriasis Symptoms

Medically reviewed by Allison Truong, M.D.

If youre living with psoriasis, you know that the condition can affect more than just your skin. You may also experience joint pain, fatigue, or a comorbidity, like cardiovascular disease or depression. Managing your symptoms and overall health can feel like a constant juggling act.

Adding to the struggle may also be your weight. More than 73 percent of US adults over age 20 fall into the categories of overweight or obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. And its generally considered beneficial for overall health to fall within an average weight range, which for most people means having a body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9. Another added benefit is that being at a healthy weight may also reduce psoriasis severity.

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Can Weight Loss Help Psoriasis

Posted on November 26, 2015 in How To Stay Healthy, Skin Diet, Inflammation, Treatments, Skin, fat, Body, Face

Though were still in the early stages of research, an important question is beginning to be resolved: can weight loss help psoriasis? And thus far, it appears that the answer is yes!

A recent study in San Francisco has shown that patients who suffered from psoriasis before their bariatric surgery have shown improvement of their symptoms post-op. Considering how common psoriasis is, and its effects on peoples health and well being, these results can have significant implications.

Battle of the Bulge

Its a very interesting observation, says Dr. Adam Mamelak, board certified dermatologist in Austin, Texas. There are actually a number of variables involved here. Dr. Mamelak explains that we must consider that a persons weight may not directly affect their skin disease. But rather, some additional contributing factors. If a person is severely overweight and takes a high blood pressure medication, some of these medications can make their psoriasis worse. Often, when those overweight individuals lose a great deal of weight, they may no longer need medication or can take a reduced amount.

Experts Weigh In

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