Psoriasis linked to ultra-processed foods

Several studies have demonstrated the role of ultra-processed foods in the development of inflammatory diseases, including type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Psoriasis has now been added to this list: a French study has shown that individuals with active psoriasis consume more industrially processed foods.This is the first study to examine the association between processed foods and active psoriasis. The Nutri-Net-Santé study recorded the dietary habits of a cohort of 18,500 participants, around 10% of whom had psoriasis and 4% with active inflammation. High consumption of ultra-processed foods was more frequent in the group with active psoriasis compared with those who had never had the disease or were symptom-free at the time of data collection.This association may even be underestimated, warn the researchers. In fact, the results obtained show that the population studied had much better eating habits than the general population. Participants were asked to complete an online food diary, listing all foods and beverages consumed in the last 24 hours. The researchers then calculated the total weight of food that fell into the category of ultra-processed foods. Each participant was classified into one of 3 terciles according to the amount consumed each day. Read: Ultraprocessed foods are everywhere. How bad are they?“We based ourselves on a weight ratio rather than an energy ratio, since many processed foods and ingredients involved in food processing provide no energy at all,” pointed out Dr. Émilie Sbidian, a dermatologist at Henri Mondor Hospital in France, and her colleagues in the study published in JAMA Dermatology.The group with active psoriasis had a higher proportion of participants with a BMI above 30 (16%) than those who never had the disease or whose disease was not active (9% and 11% respectively). However, after adjusting for age, BMI, alcohol consumption and comorbidities, the results remained significant. This suggests that the inflammatory action of this type of food is not linked to high BMI.As a chronic inflammatory pathology, psoriasis symptoms can be alleviated through healthy lifestyle habits. This study confirms the link between a balanced diet and better management of psoriasis symptoms.In the United States, 58% of daily calorie intake comes from ultra-processed foods.

Psoriasis linked to ultra-processed foods

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