Abstract
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Immunological, genetic, and environmental factors, including diet, play a part in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Metabolic syndrome or its components are frequent co-morbidities in persons with psoriasis. A change of eating habits can improve the quality of life of patients by relieving skin lesions and by reducing the risk of other diseases. A low-energy diet is recommended for patients with excess body weight. Persons suffering from psoriasis should limit the intake of saturated fatty acids and replace them with polyunsaturated fatty acids from the omega-3 family, which have an anti-inflammatory effect. In diet therapy for persons with psoriasis, the introduction of antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, flavonoids, and selenium is extremely important. Vitamin D supplementation is also recommended. Some authors suggest that alternative diets have a positive effect on the course of psoriasis. These diets include: a gluten-free diet, a vegetarian diet, and a Mediterranean diet. Diet therapy for patients with psoriasis should also be tailored to pharmacological treatment. For instance, folic acid supplementation is introduced in persons taking methotrexate. The purpose of this paper is to discuss in detail the nutritional recommendations for persons with psoriasis.
Highlights
Received: 14 November 2021Psoriasis is one of the most common inflammatory skin diseases [1]
In the meta-analysis of 18 studies carried out by Armstrong et al [19], which covered over 200,000 persons suffering from psoriasis, it was calculated that the risk of obesity is over 50% higher in patients with psoriasis compared to those without the disease
Assessment of waist/hip ratio (WHR); fasting blood glucose determination at least once a year; more frequent testing for hypertension; determination of serum lipids; determination of serum uric acid and liver enzymes; It was observed that a body mass index (BMI) (Body Mass Index) > 29 kg/m2 more than doubles the risk of developing this disease, and a reduction in body mass contributes to a reduction of blood serum inflammatory factors, significantly improves the course of the disease, and causes faster regression of psoriatic lesions compared to persons not following the diet [1,14,30]
Summary
As estimated by the WHO (World Health Organization), this dermatosis affects 0.09–11.43% of the global population, and the number of patients varies from 1.50% to 5.00% in developed countries [2] It consists of abnormal hyperplasia of keratinocytes (epidermal cells), which leads to the formation of psoriatic plaques [3] It is a chronic disease in which we can observe periods of spontaneous regression followed by relapses [1]. Th22 lymphocytes leads to the production of pro-inflammatory factors in excessive amounts These factors include: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukins 1, 2, 6, 8, 12, 17, 22, 23 (IL), interferon γ (IFN-γ), tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α), ceruloplasmin, α2-macroglobulin, α1-antitrypsin, and others. The above-mentioned factors (immunological, genetic, and environmental) influence the development and severity of this dermatosis to varying degrees It is worth noticing the connection between psoriasis and other diseases [8,9]. The chronic inflammatory process is the element that links psoriasis with its comorbidities [5,7,8,11]
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