Lifestyle changes for treating psoriasis.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Public Health
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition linked to lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, and poor sleep.
• Lifestyle modifications, including weight reduction and dietary changes, may offer therapeutic benefits for psoriasis management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions for psoriasis.
• Assessments included weight reduction, alcohol abstinence, smoking cessation, dietary changes, and exercise.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to July 2018.
• Included RCTs focused on lifestyle changes for diagnosed psoriasis patients, with treatment durations of at least 12 weeks.
• Primary outcomes were psoriasis severity and intervention adherence; secondary outcomes included quality of life and comorbidity reduction.

Main Results:

• Dietary interventions (low-calorie diets) in obese individuals showed potential to improve Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75) scores (low-quality evidence).
• Dietary changes likely improved quality of life and reduced Body Mass Index (BMI) in obese participants (moderate-quality evidence).
• Combined dietary intervention and exercise programs also suggested improvements in psoriasis severity and BMI (moderate-quality evidence).

Conclusions:

• Dietary interventions may improve psoriasis severity, quality of life, and BMI in obese individuals.
• Combined diet and exercise interventions show potential for improving psoriasis and reducing BMI.
• Further research is needed to explore effectiveness in non-obese individuals and the impact of smoking cessation and alcohol abstinence.