To reduce the severity of psoriasis, it would be better to adopt a diet rich in fruits and vegetables but also to avoid saturated fat.
- A diet rich in plants and inspired by the Dash diet is associated with a reduction in the severity of psoriasis, according to a new study.
- A greater consumption of red and transformed meat was associated with severe psoriasis, even when the BMI was taken into account.
- Researchers recommend providing dietary advice to patients with psoriasis.
Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease of the skin most often benign. However, 20 % of patients suffer from a severe form. A new study by King’s College London shows that paying attention to the content of their plate could help these patients reduce their suffering.
The results were presented in the journal British Journal of Nutrition February 20, 2025.
Psoriasis: eat plants and avoid saturated fat
To determine the impact of food on psoriasis, researchers brought together 257 adults with this dermatological pathology. They examined the quality of their menus via questionnaires on their meals. They noted, among other things, the scoring of the Mediterranean diet, the Dash score (diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, full cereals, low -fat dairy products and lean meats while limiting salt, sugar and saturated fat) or the healthy diet index based on plants. The severity of psoriasis has been self-evaluated by a questionnaire.
The analysis of the different data collected has shown that people with very low adhesion to the DASH diet or a healthy diet based on plants were significantly more likely to present a higher severity of psoriasis than others.
By taking a closer look at the different elements of the regimes studied, the team noticed that a greater consumption of red and/or transformed meat was associated with more serious psoriasis. In addition, the consumption of fruit, nuts and legumes was linked to less serious psoriasis, but this relationship was not independent of the BMI.
Psoriasis: Nutrition could relieve patients
For scientists who have worked on this research, their results confirm that dietary interventions may have beneficial effects on the health of patients with psoriasis.
“Given the impact of psoriasis on physical and psychological well-being, the integration of dietetic assessments in routine care could offer patients additional support in the management of their disease”explains Sylvia Zanesco, director of works, in a press release.
“This study provides essential evidence on the role that dietary advice can play, in addition to the usual clinical care, in the management of symptoms of psoriasis. Our next steps will consist in determining whether the dietary diets rich in healthy plant food can reduce the symptoms of psoriasis in the context of a controlled clinical trial”adds Pr Wendy Hall, main author of the study.
