Can diet & exercise help psoriasis?

[Fred]

My dermatologist is always telling me diet and exercise can help with psoriasis, so she will no doubt be reminding me after reading this study published in the British Journal of Dermatology

Quote:

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Background:
Increased body mass index and weight gain are risk factors for psoriasis, and the prevalence of obesity in patients with psoriasis is higher than in the general population. Limited data exist regarding the role of diet in psoriasis. Here we assessed the impact of a dietary intervention combined with physical exercise for weight loss on improving psoriasis in overweight or obese patients.

Methods:
This study included 303 overweight or obese patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis not achieving clearance after 4 weeks of continuous systemic treatment. They were randomized to receive a 20-week quantitative and qualitative dietary plan associated with physical exercise for weight loss, or simple informative counseling at baseline about the utility of weight loss for clinical control of psoriatic disease. The main outcome was any reduction of the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) from baseline to week 20.

Results:
Intention-to-treat analysis showed a median PASI reduction of 48% (95% confidence interval, 33.3 to 58.3%) in the dietary intervention arm and 25.5% (95% confidence interval, 18.2 to 33.3%) in the information-only arm (P=0.02). Among secondary outcomes, PASI50 significantly differed between study arms (49.7% with dietary intervention vs. 34.2% with information only, P=0.006). The weight-loss target (a ≥5% reduction from baseline) was reached by 29.8% of patients in the dietary intervention arm compared to 14.5% in the information-only arm (P=0.001).

Conclusions:
A 20-week dietetic intervention associated with increased physical exercise reduced psoriasis severity in systemically treated overweight or obese patients with active psoriasis.

Source: NO LINKS ALLOWED

[Caroline]

Ok. But this is pointing to overweight persons.

Still I am certain that exercise helps. Certainly it does with my PsA, I am fitter when having had my exercise, and the increase stream of blood through feet and hands is no doubt good for reducing painful limbs.

Just back from the second evening spinning in this week.

[Fred]

Yep sorry don't apply to stick insects, only big boys like me

[jiml]

I suppose with psoriasis it is not possible to do a blind test regarding exercise and diet so I suppose it was the best test they could carry out although I feel 303 people tested using I assume 1/2 on the information only test and the other 150ish on the active programme is not a high enough number to give any credible conclusions.
I agree exercise and diet are good for weight loss, but I find if I am feeling good about myself and have a positive attitude my skin begins to clear. which may well have been the case with this test.
Was it the people who lost weight that had an improvement in their psoriasis it is not made clear.
I would love to see others following up on this research. Because if it works I will get my bike out and eat the right food

[mataribot]

I will throw a wrench in their study.I was 160 lbs and 9% body fat and worked out 5 days a week. 30 mins cardio and approximately 60 minutes a day of lifting a day. My psoriasis was at it's worse back then! My psoriasis actually got slightest better as I got fat. Go figure.

[Caroline]

I will throw a wrench in their study.I was 160 lbs and 9% body fat and worked out 5 days a week. 30 mins cardio and approximately 60 minutes a day of lifting a day. My psoriasis was at it's worse back then! My psoriasis actually got slightest better as I got fat. Go figure.

One problem with your wrench is that it is statistically not significant. 1:300.

Though I think that your information can be very valid in a research. One problem with statistical research is that if important questions are missing from the survey, the whole effect of the statistics can become invalid without the researcher knowing it.
That makes statistical research so difficult and gives rise to the statement of the three types of lies in increasing form: there are lies, there are damned lies and there is statistics.
At that point much research will be flawed because of wrong assumptions and unfortunately insurance companies are relying on this kind of research when medication is investigated.

Of course there will also be very good research, the type that looks further than only the surface, but I do not have the warm feeling that that is common practice.

[mataribot]

You cannot implement a successful weight loss programs without making major life style changes. I wonder what the roll of stress relief plays on this study. You also got to wonder how a study impacts some's ability to get proper treatment. Dr. says no treatment for you until you lose 100 lbs!

[jiml]

You cannot implement a successful weight loss programs without making major life style changes. I wonder what the roll of stress relief plays on this study. You also got to wonder how a study impacts some's ability to get proper treatment. Dr. says no treatment for you until you lose 100 lbs!

Good point regarding insurance based treatment, although I am sure in England our national health dermatologists may see this as a way to cut costs although I am sure most will want to see a far larger study group than just 300
Another thing to ponder is who funds the research is it insurance giants looking for a way out of paying for the treatment of patients