INFOGRAPHICPSORIASIS

How Diet Affects Psoriasis, According to Our Members

December 04, 2023
How Diet Affects Psoriasis, According to Our Members We surveyed 103 community members about how their diet seems to affect their psoriasis symptoms. Here’s what they shared, with weigh-in from a dermatologist. The Impact When asked how true the statement “I believe my diet impacts my psoriasis” is: 30% said very true 39% said true 22% said somewhat true 9% said not at all true Overall, 91% of surveyed members shared that diet affects their psoriasis to some degree. What Foods Matter? People said that some foods seem to help decrease their symptoms of psoriasis. The beneficial foods they mentioned most: Fruits Vegetables Nuts Fish Vinegar and fermented foods Other foods seemed to make symptoms and severity worse. Common culprits: Junk food and sugar Alcohol Dairy Gluten Red meat Nightshades What Members Had to Say “By removing candy or other processed sugars, my psoriasis is 99% gone.” “Not eating sugar or processed foods and gluten also helps my psoriatic arthritis.” “Mostly, I eat lots of vegetables, fruits, pasta, legumes, and nuts. Some meat and fish. Very seldom junk food. I buy low-sodium, low-saturated-fat, and low-cholesterol foods. I have become a label reader. It has helped my psoriasis.” A Dermatologist’s Input “Good research in this field is unfortunately lacking, but the studies that we have do seem to indicate a potential gut-skin connection. We think that diet likely impacts the makeup of the gut microbiome.” — Tina Bhutani, M.D., board-certified dermatologist at the University of California, San Francisco According to Bhutani, two main aspects of diet may affect psoriasis: Triggers: Some foods may make symptoms worse, and these can vary from person to person. Healthy diet: A balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and good fats with a low intake of red meat may help to: Restore microbiome balance Keep you at a healthy weight, which can help control psoriasis What to Do If you haven’t taken a look at your diet, it may be worth it: Of the 49% of respondents who have made changes to their diet to help manage their psoriasis, 70% found that it helped. (Of the rest, 28% said changing their diet had no impact, and 2% said changing their diet made symptoms worse.) A word of caution: “Avoid really tough, intense elimination diets or diets that would be very stressful to implement. Sometimes, the stress of removing many things from the diet all at once, or the stress of trying to follow an intense diet, is worse for psoriasis than the foods themselves,” Bhutani says. Despite the potential impact of diet on psoriasis symptoms, few people said they’d seen a nutritionist or dietitian to discuss changes that could help. 6% said they had 94% said they had not Working with a dietary specialist can help you create an effective eating plan and take action that counts. “It is difficult to do alone—I need accountability partners, coaching. I read the books and the online articles; however, my issue is implementing a strategy and taking action.” — Community member The Bigger Picture Diet is just one part of a holistic treatment plan—don’t forget to stick to any other treatments your doctor has prescribed, too. While 25% of people said they focus on diet alone, 75% report that diet complements their other treatments. Talk to your doctor about other treatments and lifestyle options that could help, including: Topical medication, such as a prescription cream or medicated shampoo Phototherapy Oral or injectable medication Stress management Exercise Sources: User Survey: Psoriasis and Diet (Jan. 2022) Salem, I. et al. (2018) The Gut Microbiome as a Major Regulator of the Gut-Skin Axis. Frontiers in Microbiology. Garbicz, J. et al. (2021) Nutritional Therapy in Persons Suffering from Psoriasis. Nutrients. Mayo Clinic. Psoriasis: Diagnosis & Treatment.