Psoriasis can be treated with anything from topical ointments to medications that modify your immune system. But may modifying one's diet alleviate the signs of this frequent ailment?

Nutrition may play a more significant role than we realize in how the more than 8 million Americans who deal with psoriasis manage inflammation.

People living with Psoriasis can benefit from the advice of Margaret Wesdock, a licensed nutritionist at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

What Role Does Food Have In Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin condition that can last for a long time. "The body wrongly targets its own tissue," says Wesdock. When this happens, excess skin cells accumulate and form plaques on the skin's surface. Plaques appear as red, scaly spots that may be uncomfortable to the touch. Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory joint disorder that can occur alongside psoriasis.

You can't blame your diet for either of these problems, but what you eat can significantly impact your psoriasis. There are a lot of foods that are known to trigger inflammation in the body. This systemic inflammation can exacerbate psoriasis symptoms in certain people.

How Do Foods Make You Hurt?

There have been and are still studies to determine what causes inflammation in the body and what foods do that. Recent studies have shown that eating some foods, particularly those undergoing extensive processing can trigger a hyperactive immune response.

Adipose tissue (body fat) is located all over the body and can become inflamed if you eat foods high in saturated fat. Psoriasis risk is significantly increased by chronic adipose tissue inflammation, which is prevalent in people who are overweight or obese. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other long-term illnesses is also raised.

Avoid These Foods If You Have Psoriasis

Many high-calorie foods that contribute to weight gain and raise the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are also inflammatory. Psoriasis symptoms may be worse by eating certain types of inflammatory foods.

Alcohol

When you drink a lot of alcohol, your liver must work extra hard to process it. The body's production of molecules necessary for alcohol metabolism might cause chronic inflammation if drinking is done often or in large quantities.

Inflammation of the colon and intestines can result from alcohol's adverse effects on the gut's beneficial flora.

Dairy

Milk and other dairy products are notoriously heavy in fat, which has been linked to inflammation. Casein is the protein found in cow's milk and can be difficult to digest for some.

Most people who have trouble digesting lactose don't produce enough of the digestive enzyme lactase.

Inflammation is exacerbated by the chronic irritation of the digestive tract that results from these disorders. Some persons with psoriasis find relief when they eliminate dairy from their diet.

Carbohydrate-Refined Foods

Highly processed refined carbs. These refined foods are bad for your health since they are high in sugar and lack fiber and entire grains. Advanced glycation end products, molecules in your blood that can cause inflammation, are also increased by refined carbs.

Trans And Saturated Fat-Containing Foods

Inflammation is a typical response to the fats found in red meat, cheese, fried food, margarine, fast food, and many processed snacks. You'll get more "bad cholesterol," also known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL), from consuming these fats.

There is evidence from research to suggest that being overweight can make psoriasis symptoms worse or cause them to appear for the first time.

How Do You Assess Bodily Inflammation?

While it's true that consuming certain meals can trigger an inflammatory response in some people, this isn't the case for everybody. A few psoriasis patients have told me what is triggering their condition. One other patient saw an increase in her symptoms after eating nuts,"

Biomarkers, molecules in your blood that spike when your body reacts to certain foods like fats or sugars, can be used to gauge inflammation in some diagnostic procedures. Increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood, for instance, can be detected with a simple blood test.

When inflammation is present in the body, the liver produces more CRP. Doctors could use this screening to forecast the onset of severe conditions like heart disease.

Psoriasis Diet: What To Eat

As meals might cause inflammation, some foods can help reduce it. The most excellent way to minimize inflammation all across the body is to eat a diet rich in balanced, whole foods. Possible benefits include fewer episodes of severe psoriasis symptoms and fewer overall episodes.

Psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis patients who follow a Mediterranean diet may also have a reduction in chronic inflammation that can lead to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and other illnesses. Some of the healthiest options for those with psoriasis are:

• Fish; lean meat; or soy products like tofu and tempeh
• Vegetables and fruit
• Legumes
• Seeds and nuts