Plant-based diets may aid symptoms of psoriasis

Consuming a greater proportion of nutrients from plant sources may aid management of psoriasis symptoms, according to a study published online Feb. 19 in the European Journal of Nutrition.

Sylvia Zanesco, Ph.D., from King’s College London, and colleagues assessed macronutrient intakes of people living with psoriasis and the relationship with psoriasis severity. The analysis included 257 participants.

The researchers found that participants with psoriasis reported an overconsumption of the percentage of energy from free sugars (median, 11.2%) and an underconsumption of fiber (20.2 g/day). Participants in the highest quartile of intake for percentage free sugars from beverages were more likely to report high psoriasis severity (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.85) compared with participants in the lowest quartile of intake, although body mass index (BMI) attenuated this relationship.

When adjusting for BMI, elevated intakes of percentage of protein from total meat were associated with increased odds of reporting high psoriasis severity (OR, 2.47), while the percentage of protein intakes from plant-based sources was inversely associated with reporting high disease severity (OR, 0.36).

“The potential benefits of plant-based diets for people living with psoriasis remain an open question for future randomized controlled trials,” the authors write.

2026 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Plant-rich, low saturated-fat diet associated with reduced psoriasis severity