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| What you eat might help with psoriasis flares |
Studies have shown that what you
eat can help reduce the symptoms and impact of some chronic illnesses, such as
psoriasis, over time.
1.
Is it
possible to treat psoriasis by modifying your diet?
Yes, according to dermatologist
Anthony Fernandez, MD, PhD, especially if you have obese or are overweight.
"We have strong evidence that decreasing weight on a hypocaloric
(low-calorie) diet can reduce the severity of your psoriasis."
When changing your diet, it's
important to remember that it's not just how much you eat but also what you
eat.
2.
When you
have psoriasis, what foods should you avoid?
If you have psoriasis, it's
typical to encounter lists of certain trigger foods to avoid. According to Dr.
Fernandez, adhering to such limits isn't always essential. "In general, we
do not advise people with psoriasis to avoid a particular meal." This is
since there is no scientific evidence that specific diets promote psoriasis.
Dr. Fernandez, for example, points out that there's no evidence that eggs can
provoke a flare.
However, you may occasionally
notice that particular foods affect your psoriasis. "We see folks who come
in and say, 'I feel like my psoriasis flares if I consume this particular sort
of food,'" adds Dr. Fernandez.
In that scenario, you may want to
pay closer attention to how you feel after eating this meal, or avoid it
entirely to see whether it makes a difference over time. Dr. Fernandez says,
"We're always open to experimenting with small, harmless things like
that." "Everyone is different, and their sickness may have a
different trigger." If it's brought up, we'll take it seriously."
Dr. Fernandez points out that
there are a variety of foods that can aggravate psoriasis.
3.
Foods
with a lot of fat or sugar
Moderation is also essential when
it comes to alcohol. "We know that persons who drink alcohol have a higher
risk of heart disease." We require body fat to survive since it is
essential to our overall health. Body fat, on the other hand, is
pro-inflammatory. Having more of it can lead to increased inflammation, which
is bad for psoriasis. Dr. Fernandez advises avoiding calorie-dense items that
increase your chances of gaining body fat, such as fried fast food and sugary
desserts.
4. Alcohol
"Alcohol causes
psoriasis," Dr. Fernandez says. "However, refraining from alcohol may
not necessarily result in considerable long-term illness improvement."
Instead, stick to your doctor's guidelines for alcohol consumption and don't go
beyond.
5.
Can
vitamins aid in the treatment of psoriasis?
You may have heard that taking an
anti-inflammatory substance like turmeric will help you manage your psoriasis.
However, science does not always support this claim. "Unless we know
something like, 'Well, if you take too much of this supplement, it will cause
injury,' we'll normally just say, 'Go ahead and try taking it,'" he says.
"However, there is no strong evidence to support any supplements making a
difference with psoriasis."
6.
Is there
a special diet that can aid with psoriasis management?
A particular diet isn't the sole
approach to controlling psoriasis. "We don't know which diet is the best
for patients," Dr. Fernandez explains. "And we don't necessarily
advocate it as a stand-alone treatment." Most patients will not improve
enough with diet alone to eliminate the need for other medications."
However, some diets are more
effective than others in treating psoriasis.
7.
Dietary
guidelines from the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean diet has been
demonstrated to have a good influence in studies. Dr. Fernandez adds,
"That's probably the one most people recommend when discussing how to
adjust your diet and improve your psoriasis." "Foods with
anti-inflammatory qualities are included in this diet. They have low-fat
content. They have a low-calorie count. The majority of them are organic."
Expect to consume a lot of fruits
and vegetables and nuts and grains if you follow the Mediterranean diet. You'll
get your protein from salmon, sauté in olive oil. You won't consume much dairy,
red meat, or sweets.
However, a little indulgence now
and then is OK. Dr. Fernandez says, "I never like to tell individuals that
they have to start on the Mediterranean diet and only eat foods from the
Mediterranean diet." "Eating meals that are extremely good but high
in calories is acceptable as a treat occasionally. However, in general,
avoiding too many of such items will help you control your psoriasis and reduce
the amount of medication you need to take."
Low-calorie
(hypocaloric) diet
Another effective psoriasis
treatment is to eat a low-calorie diet. "It has been proved that losing
weight reduces the severity of psoriasis," explains Dr. Fernandez. If
you're overweight or obese, sticking to a low-calorie diet will help you
control your psoriasis more effectively.
However, it's less apparent
whether a low-calorie diet will help control psoriasis if you're not overweight
or obese. Dr. Fernandez says, "We don't know yet." "We'll have
to perform some investigation to see if such a diet can help you in that
situation."
Is
it possible to treat psoriasis with a gluten-free diet?
One of the most popular
misconceptions is that a gluten-free diet will aid people living with
psoriasis. However, according to Dr. Fernandez, this is not the case for most
people. Studies have shown that a gluten-free diet does not help with
psoriasis.
"Unless you have laboratory
confirmation that you are gluten sensitive, a gluten-free diet makes no
difference," he explains. "And we'll be able to test for that when
the time comes." Dr. Fernandez explains that this implies if you're
already exhibiting clinical signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance.
"Having psoriasis alone isn't enough to trigger testing."
Are
there any alternative diets that can help with psoriasis?
Other diets, you may have heard,
can help with psoriasis. Two examples are a plant-based diet rich in vegetables
or the high-fat keto diet. There's also the Pagano diet, which is similar to
the Mediterranean diet in several ways.
Dr. Fernandez emphasizes that
there is no substantial evidence that these diets can help with psoriasis at
this time. However, doctors are conducting a study to investigate if some
dietary methods (such as the keto diet) will help with psoriasis. "There's
a lot of interest in looking into other diets for psoriasis," he says,
adding that "better proof may be available in the future."
Doctors, like vitamins, don't
mind if people follow varied diets as long as they don't harm their health.
"If you want to try something like the Pagano diet, we'll say it's OK as
long as we think it's healthy in general — or that it's not so severe that
you're going to be missing out on certain critical nutrients," he says.
Is
it possible to get rid of psoriasis by changing your diet?
Unfortunately, psoriasis cannot
be cured by changing one's diet. Psoriasis does not have a cure. However, there
are other options for managing the illness outside nutrition.
Dr. Fernandez explains,
"Exercise is important for your immune system and can also help you lose
weight because of the calories you expend." "Wellness is something to
aspire for in general. Eating healthily, exercising regularly, and getting
enough sleep are all important strategies for reducing the likelihood of a
flare-up."
According to Dr. Fernandez,
certain patients improve so much with diet and exercise that they don't require
medicine.
"But we think of that as
more of an exception, and we certainly don't suggest that's all you need to
do," he emphasizes, stressing that neither exercise nor diet is
recommended as sole substitutes for pharmaceuticals.
"For some people, the
benefits they observe with exercise and diet may mean that all they need is a
topical therapy to control psoriasis, rather than a pill or an injectable medicine
that affects their immune system systemically and can have other negative
effects," Dr. Fernandez explains.
And, he says, those with moderate
to severe psoriasis are likely to need medicine for the rest of their lives.
"However, we believe that we can reduce the number of prescriptions you
need to take through wellness and food."
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