Healthy diet and other lifestyle changes that can improve psoriasis
Quitting smoking
Researchers have found that smokers who have psoriasis and quit smoking can:
Reduce their risk of developing diseases of the heart, blood vessels, liver, and gums
Lessen their chance of developing an autoimmune disease like Crohn’s disease
Have fewer psoriasis flares
Have less palmoplantar psoriasis
Increase remissions (periods with little or no psoriasis)
Nicotine patch warning
Before using a nicotine patch, ask your dermatologist if the patch is the right choice for you. The nicotine patch may cause your psoriasis to flare.
Limit alcohol
Researchers have also found several benefits to limiting alcohol if you have psoriasis. These include:
Less psoriasis because treatment becomes more effective
Increased remissions
Reduced risk of developing psoriatic arthritis (for women) and fatty liver disease
Decreased risk of liver damage from psoriasis medications
Alcohol impact
Men who have more than 2 drinks per day and women who have more than 1 may see the following effects from drinking:
Psoriasis treatment stops working — or doesn’t work as well
Fewer (or no) remissions (periods without psoriasis)
Maintain a healthy weight
If you are overweight, losing weight can:
Reduce your psoriasis flares
Decrease the need for psoriasis medications
Improve how well your psoriasis treatment works
Decrease your risk of developing diseases associated with psoriasis, including heart disease, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, fatty liver disease, and diabetes.
Losing weight helps
After losing weight, many patients discover that their psoriasis medicine, which previously failed, begins to work.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet
Eating a healthy and balanced diet has benefits for everyone. If you have psoriasis, the benefits include:
Improve your health and help you feel better
Reduce your risk of developing diseases linked to psoriasis, including diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
Exercise
While exercise may seem impractical if you have psoriasis, working out can reduce some of psoriasis’s negative effects by helping you:
Lose weight or maintain a healthy weight
Reduce your risk of developing diseases linked to psoriasis, including fatty liver disease and heart disease
Reduce stress, depression, and anxiety
Reduce exercise pain
If you have pain while exercising, tell your dermatologist. You may be able to make some changes that can help prevent the pain while working out.
Get screened for related diseases
Getting screened can help you:
Find a disease early, when it can often be cured or managed successfully
Take steps to reduce the effects that the related disease has on your life
Allow you to use a psoriasis treatment that may help reduce the effects of a related disease (for example, some biologics that treat psoriasis may also reduce the risk for a heart attack)
Check your eyes
If you have severe psoriasis, your dermatologist may recommend that you see an eye doctor once or twice a year. This can find eye problems early.
See a dermatologist and keep your appointments
Psoriasis tends to be a lifelong condition. Dermatologists understand this disease and know how to treat it appropriately. A dermatologist can help you:
Find psoriasis treatment that’s right for you
Control psoriasis, which can prevent psoriasis from worsening and improve your quality of life
Assess your risk of developing related diseases and tell you when to get screenings for these diseases
Find early symptoms of psoriatic arthritis so that you can begin treatment
The impact that psoriasis has on your life can be significant. Making healthy lifestyle choices may reduce this impact.
Diseases more common in people who have psoriasis
If you have psoriasis, research shows that you may have a higher risk of developing the following:
Addiction to alcohol or tobacco
Crohn’s disease
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Eye problems
Gum disease
Heart and blood vessel diseases (heart attack, stroke)
Kidney disease
Liver disease
Mood disorder (anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide)
Obesity
Psoriatic arthritis
Unhealthy cholesterol levels
The longer you have psoriasis, the greater your risk of developing related diseases. A healthy lifestyle, however, can reduce your risk.
Related AAD resources
Image
Getty Images
Resources
Al-Mutairi N, Manchanda Y. “The effect of weight reduction on treatment outcomes in obese patients of psoriasis on biologic therapy.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2015;72(5):AB254.
Antal M, Braunitzer G. “Smoking as a permissive factor of periodontal disease in psoriasis.” PLoS ONE 9(3): e92333.
Kimball AB, Gladman D, et. al. “National Psoriasis Foundation clinical consensus on psoriasis comorbidities and recommendations for screening.” J Am Acad Dermatol 2008;58(6):1031-42.
Lee MS, Lin RY, et al. “Increased risk of diabetes mellitus in relation to the severity of psoriasis, concomitant medication, and comorbidity: A nationwide population-based cohort study.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2014;70(4):691-8.
Li W, Han J, et. al. “Smoking and risk of incident psoriasis among women and men in the United States: A combined analysis.” Am J Epidemiol. 2012;175(5):402-13.
Murzaku EC, Bronsnick T, et. al. “Diet in Dermatology: Part II, melanoma, chronic urticaria, and psoriasis.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2014;71(6):1053.e1-1053.e16.
Neimann AL, Shin DB, et al. “Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with psoriasis.” J Am Acad Dermatol 2006;55(5):829-35.
Prussick R, Roussick L, et. al. “Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and psoriasis.” J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2015 Mar:8(3):43-5.
Qureshi AA, Dominguez PL, “Alcohol intake and risk of incident psoriasis in US women: A prospective study.” Arch Dermatol. 2010;146(12): 1364-9
Rehal B, Modjtahedi BS, et al. “Ocular psoriasis.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011 Dec;65(6):1202-12.
Richard MA, Barnetche T, et. al. “Psoriasis, cardiovascular events, cancer risk, and alcohol use: Evidence-based recommendations based on systematic review and expert opinion.”
Schmitt J, Ford DE. “Psoriasis is independently associated with psychiatric morbidity and adverse cardiovascular risk factors, but not with cardiovascular events in a population-based sample.” J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2010;24(8):885-92.
Strohal R, Kirby B, et. al. “Psoriasis beyond the skin: An expert group consensus on the management of psoriatic arthritis and common co-morbidities in patients with moderate- to-severe psoriasis.” J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2014;28(12):1661-9.
Villani AP, Rouzaud M, et al. “Prevalence of undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis among psoriasis patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis.” J Am Acad Dermatol 2015;73(2): 242–8.
Van der Voort EAM, Koehler EM, et al. “Psoriasis is independently associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in patients 55 years old or older: Results from a population-based study.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2014;70(3):517–24.
Wu, S, Cho E, et. al. “Alcohol intake and risk of incident psoriatic arthritis in women.” J Rheumatol. 2015;42(5):835-40.
Zou L Lonne-Rahm SB, et al. “Alcohol intake measured by phosphatidylethanol in blood and the lifetime drinking history are correlated with the extent of psoriasis.” Dermatology. 2015;230(4):375-80.