Diet for psoriasis: is it necessary?
Lifestyle changes and dietary adjustments are crucial steps in treating many skin conditions, including psoriasis. Dietary changes lead to significant improvements in skin condition, clearing skin of lesions, and reducing itching. What dietary changes are needed for psoriasis, and what principles should be followed when planning a diet during flare-ups and remissions?
Diet for Psoriasis
Even ancient physicians knew that food can act as a medicine for various diseases, and that dietary changes lead to improvements in skin condition. In the last century, numerous dietary restrictions for the treatment of psoriasis were described. More than a hundred years ago, detailed explanations and recommendations were given for dietary correction of psoriatic lesions, which helped manage flare-ups. Even then, the positive effect of a low-protein diet on the course of psoriasis and the suppression of its activity was noted. A dietary restriction of protein to 30 grams per day is recommended for the treatment of psoriasis. A fasting diet consisting of a predominantly plant-based diet (vegetables in the form of salads and various dishes), supplemented with carbonated water and tea, has also shown quite satisfactory results. This diet is used for a week. In this case, protein intake is sharply reduced, which alters metabolic processes.
Dietary Changes: The Challenge of Choice
It is now known that in some cases, a low-protein diet can lead to a reduction in the incidence of psoriasis lesions. Some researchers believe that the high prevalence of the disease in India is due to the high consumption of spicy and hot foods. A high-calorie, high-fat, and high-carbohydrate diet, coupled with associated weight gain, leads to an increase in psoriatic lesions. The diverse information on nutrition for this disease can present patients with considerable difficulty in formulating their own diet. Authors of monographs, articles, and books often contradict each other, leaving patients completely unsure which source to trust. If a single effective diet for psoriasis were known, patients would follow it, but they are unable to decide which diet is most suitable, as there are so many options.
Current Treatment Recommendations
According to modern doctors, proper nutrition for psoriasis is one of the leading factors in preventing relapses and improving skin condition. Psoriasis treatment will be most successful and long-lasting if patients adhere to their diet in all cases. People suffering from psoriasis must fully and unconditionally accept that consuming or excluding certain foods is essential for treatment and prevention. Naturally, non-drug treatments alone, including a doctor-recommended diet, do not guarantee complete success. There are many causes for relapses (external factors, climate change, sleep deprivation, stress). However, among those who report that their psoriasis progresses and frequently flares up, the majority are patients who have refused to follow the diet or who have not followed the dietary changes consistently enough.
Changes in skin condition
In some patients, psoriatic skin lesions may resolve spontaneously as a result of normalizing internal metabolic processes, or after using ointments or creams alone, and these patients do not require dietary intervention.
Most people who are treated for psoriasis typically report real benefits and improvements, with skin almost completely clearing of lesions, only when using a combination of diet and other treatments. For these patients, it is important to understand the principles underlying all necessary therapeutic nutrition.
Common Patient Questions
One of the most difficult questions is always whether it's okay to break the diet occasionally. Regarding psoriasis, doctors say it's important to strictly follow the recommendations for the first few months, until all skin lesions have completely disappeared. After a short period of time, you can gradually reintroduce previously excluded foods. If a relapse occurs, you should immediately return to the original diet, maintaining it for a longer period until the body has fully returned to normal.
If weight loss occurs, should I stop the diet? Weight loss will indicate meticulous adherence to the diet. If you feel that your weight loss is sudden and significant, then you should eat more of the permitted foods. The diet should be strictly followed, but relatively flexible. It shouldn't become an irritant or a constant worry about whether you've strayed from the permitted foods list.
Common sense should be the key to any diet, especially when dealing with skin lesions. Effective support at the beginning of treatment will be communication between patients just starting treatment and those who have already had experience with therapy and have achieved good results when following this dietary style.
