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Mediterranean diet may slow psoriasis progression

Patients with severe psoriasis had low adherence to the Mediterranean diet, suggesting that following the diet may slow the advancement of the condition, according to findings published in JAMA Dermatology.

“The Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce chronic inflammation and has a positive effect on the risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular events,” Céline Phan, MD, from Paris Est Créteil University, and colleagues wrote.

Phan and colleagues analyzed data from the NutriNet-Santé program to determine how adherence to the Mediterranean diet affects the onset and/or severity of psoriasis.

Participants of the NutriNet-Santé program (n = 35,735; mean age, 47.5 years; 76% women) completed a psoriasis questionnaire. The researchers used results from the questionnaire to categorize participants into one of three categories: severe psoriasis, nonsevere psoriasis and psoriasis-free.

To determine participants’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet, the researchers calculated their MEDI-LITE score using data on dietary intake. MED-LITE score ranged from 0 (no adherence) to 18 (maximum adherence).

Overall, 10% of participants had psoriasis, with 24.7% of cases being severe and 8.4% of cases developing more than 2 years after the start of the study.

Participants with severe psoriasis were significantly less likely to adhere to the Mediterranean diet (OR for MEDI-LITE score between 8 and 9 = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.55-0.92; and OR for MEDI-LITE score between 10 and 18 = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.59-1.01) after adjustment for age, sex, physical activity, BMI, tobacco use and a history of CVD.

These results indicate an inverse association between severity of psoriasis and the Mediterranean diet, according to the researchers.

“If these findings are confirmed, an optimized diet should be part of the multidisciplinary management of moderate to severe psoriasis, with a view to increasing therapeutic effectiveness,” Phan and colleagues concluded. – by Alaina Tedesco

Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.