This is a question I often get asked and unfortunately there is no straightforward answer.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease causing an overproduction of skin cells.  This results in thickened patches of skin, which are red and scaly and often itchy and painful.  The patches most commonly appear on the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet, back, fingernails and toenails.  The condition may also lead to arthritis.

Treatment options range from topical emollients and vitamin D therapy through to powerful systemic medications.  The treatment of psoriasis is very individualised, meaning what works well for one person may have a negative or no effect on another. Similarly, the effects of various foods will have varying effects on each individual’s psoriasis.Diet Does Help

Whilst many psoriasis sufferers have long claimed that certain foods affect their psoriasis, it is only recently that doctors and specialists have come to consider the diet when treating psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a condition affecting the immune system.  A diet that focuses on a healthy immune system is therefore desirable, as it will help to reduce inflammation.  While there are no set rules that will guarantee to improve your psoriasis, there are some guidelines now available that will help.

Psoriasis may be helped by a diet high in antioxidants, which are nutrients that play a vital role in cellular health.  Natural antioxidants found in fruit and vegetables are better than supplements.

A gluten free diet has also been found to help some people with psoriasis.  This involves excluding all foods containing wheat, barley, rye and oats.

A diet high in probiotics may also improve the immune system and in turn reduce psoriasis symptoms.  Probiotics are foods high in good bacteria.  We all have bacteria in our intestines and for most the good outnumber the bad.  Ensuring you have more good bacteria than bad bacteria will improve the immune system and decrease the symptoms of psoriasis.  Yogurts and some milks with added live cultures will do this.

A healthy diet can also help to maintain a balance of bacteria in the intestines.  A diet high in fruit and vegetables, whole grains and beans and low in simple sugars will help to maintain this balance and a healthy immune system.Omega 3 has Amazing Effects on Psoriasis

Modifying your fat intake is one of the best dietary ways to control your psoriasis.  Increasing the essential fatty acid Omega 3 in your diet may help.  Omega 3 is responsible for the inflammatory process in the body. Today’s modern diet has many of us consuming very small amounts  (if any at all) of Omega 3.

Increasing the amount of fish oils, flaxseed oil and nuts in our diets will help, but in reality a dietary supplement will probably be needed for the omega 3 to have a positive effect on psoriasis.

There are many supplements available in health stores that are high in omega 3.  The Grahams Mega Oil is a dietary oil supplement designed specifically for this purpose.  Not only is it high in omega 3, but it also has a calculated ratio of omegas 3, 6 and 9 that will enhance the immune system and decrease inflammation even more than omega 3 on its own.

Adopt A Healthy Diet And Control your Psoriasis

In summary, adopting a healthy diet high in fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and omega 3 supplements is what we should all be doing.  It will not only help to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis, but may also help to reduce the risk of other medical problems like heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, kidney problems, Attention Deficit Disorder and many others.

The two varieties of formula contained the same amount of calories, but the babies on hydrolysate formula ate less, gaining weight at a rate comparable to those on breast milk. The authors said the predigested proteins in hydrolysate formula may send a stronger signal to the digestive system, causing the babies to feel full sooner.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health; the formulas were supplied by a company that makes both varieties.

– Tom Avril

Study finds psoriasis increases risk of metabolic syndrome A new study urges doctors to be on the lookout for metabolic syndrome among patients with psoriasis, a common skin disease that causes redness and irritation.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors – including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol – that increases the chance of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Analyzing data from a U.S. health survey, researchers from Iceland, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania found that 40 percent of psoriasis patients had metabolic syndrome, compared with 23 percent of a control group with no psoriasis. thus, the syndrome was almost twice as common among psoriasis sufferers.

The researchers did not speculate about a biological reason for the association, but they estimated that of the 6.6 million American adults with psoriasis, 2.7 million have metabolic syndrome.

Given the serious complications of the syndrome, it “needs to be recognized and taken into account when treating individuals with psoriasis.” The study appeared online last week in the Archives of Dermatology.