Ultraprocessed Foods Linked to Active Psoriasis Risk, finds study

Key Findings

Ultraprocessed Food Intake and Psoriasis Activity:

•The highest tertile of ultraprocessed food intake was significantly more likely among individuals with active psoriasis compared to those without (adjusted OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.14-1.63, P<0.001).

Comorbidities:

• Compared to participants without psoriasis, those with active psoriasis had higher rates of cardiovascular disease (7% vs 5%), diabetes (6% vs 4%), inflammatory bowel disease (2% vs 1%), and inflammatory rheumatism (9% vs 3%).

Demographic Trends:

• The active psoriasis group had fewer women (68%) than the "never-had" and "nonactive" groups (74% and 75%, respectively).

• A higher prevalence of BMI >30 was observed in the active psoriasis group (16%) compared to "never-had" (9%) and "nonactive" (11%) groups.

Validation by Dermatologists:

• When psoriasis cases were limited to those validated by dermatologists, the link between ultraprocessed food intake and active psoriasis was not statistically significant (adjusted OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.06-1.64, P=0.13).

Significant consumption of ultraprocessed foods is associated with active psoriasis, suggesting a proinflammatory effect. These data suggest that dietary interventions might assume an important role in chronic inflammatory conditions such as psoriasis. These findings set the stage for dietary counseling to be considered in both the prevention and management of psoriasis.

Reference:

Penso, L., Touvier, M., Srour, B., Ezzedine, K., & Sbidian, E. (2024). Ultraprocessed food intake and psoriasis. JAMA Dermatology (Chicago, Ill.). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.4832