Ultra-processed foods, well known for their harmful effects on health, could play a role in psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disease, according to a team of French researchers.
- A study carried out by a French team establishes a link between the consumption of ultra-processed foods, rich in additives, sugars and fats, and active psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disease.
- By analyzing data from more than 18,500 French people, researchers discovered that people with active psoriasis were 36% more likely to consume these foods in large quantities.
- Although causality is not proven, these findings highlight the potential impact of diet on inflammation and skin health.
Full of added sugars, saturated fats and additives, they promote cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, promote anxiety, accelerate aging… Ultra-processed foods, already associated with numerous problems health, could also play a role in psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disease that manifests itself as red patches covered with scales. This is the conclusion of a new study led by Dr Émilie Sbidian, dermatologist at CHU Henri-Mondor (Créteil), and published in JAMA Dermatology.
A correlation between ultra-processed foods and psoriasis
To achieve this finding, researchers examined the profiles of more than 18,500 participants in a “French health database”collected between 2021 and 2022, according to a press release. Among them, 1,825 suffered from psoriasis, of which 802 presented an active form of the disease. The team assessed the volunteers’ daily consumption of ultra-processed foods, and adjusted their analyzes for other risk factors, such as age, alcohol, body mass index (BMI) or the presence of other pathologies. The result is clear: people with active psoriasis were 36% more likely to be among the highest consumers of these foods, compared to those without psoriasis.
Although the study does not demonstrate a direct cause and effect link, only a correlation, it opens up new perspectives. The results show that the association between psoriasis and ultra-processed foods is not limited to their impact on obesity, often linked to this inflammatory disease. Rather, they suggest that additives and product processing processes play a potential role in worsening inflammation.
Review our eating habits
For patients with psoriasis, who represent 2% of the population, limiting ultra-processed foods could be an additional lever to better control the disease and preserve their skin. Conversely, according to another recent study, it would be possible to reduce psoriasis outbreaks by adopting a healthy and balanced diet: the Mediterranean diet, composed of fruits and vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, legumes and oilseeds, can help reduce certain symptoms. “Strategies such as eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep are all keys to minimizing the risk of flare-ups.”said an American dermatologist at the time.
