The findings published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology highlight the potential value of integrating weight-management strategies into routine psoriasis care.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition affecting more than 60 million people globally, and nearly four out of five patients also live with overweight or obesity. Excess body weight is known to increase the risk of developing psoriasis and is linked to more severe disease, poorer treatment responses, and reduced quality of life. While lifestyle modification is frequently recommended, robust evidence supporting weight loss as a therapeutic adjunct has been limited.
To address this gap, researchers led by Sarah Morrow from the University of Oxford conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. The team evaluated the impact of various weight-loss interventions on psoriasis severity and health-related quality of life in adults with psoriasis.
The analysis included 13 randomized controlled trials with 14 comparisons. Most interventions focused on dietary modification, with some also incorporating physical activity, while three trials evaluated pharmacological weight-loss therapies.
The following were the key findings of the study:
- Participants receiving weight-loss interventions achieved significantly greater reductions in body weight than those receiving usual care or lower-intensity approaches.
- Greater weight reduction was consistently linked to clinically meaningful improvements in psoriasis severity across studies.
- On average, PASI scores declined by 2.5 points more in intervention groups than in controls, indicating better disease control.
- Individuals undergoing weight-loss interventions were significantly more likely to achieve PASI75, reflecting a 75% improvement from baseline disease severity.
- Improvements were also observed for PASI50 and complete skin clearance (PASI100), although these outcomes were based on fewer studies and showed greater variability.
- Weight-loss strategies were associated with significant improvements in quality of life, as reflected by meaningful reductions in Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores.
- Patient input highlighted that the observed benefits were both meaningful and motivating, with quality-of-life gains outweighing the challenges of sustained weight-loss efforts.
The authors noted considerable heterogeneity among studies, reflecting differences in intervention type, intensity, and duration. Nevertheless, the certainty of evidence was rated as high for improvements in PASI and DLQI, supporting the reliability of the overall findings.
Taken together, the results suggest that weight-loss strategies—whether lifestyle-based or pharmacological—can serve as effective adjuncts to standard psoriasis treatments. By addressing excess weight alongside conventional therapies, clinicians may be able to achieve better disease control and improve quality of life for patients with psoriasis.
The findings support a more holistic approach to psoriasis management that integrates metabolic health and lifestyle modification into routine clinical care.
Reference:
Morrow, S., Hawkins, P., M. Griffiths, C. E., Tektonidis, T. G., Harriss, E., Scragg, J., & Jebb, S. Impact of weight-loss interventions on psoriasis severity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.70247
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