Calorie restriction may improve psoriasis in overweight patients

Overweight patients with osteoporosis may improve not only their weight condition but also their psoriasis simply by restricting calorie intake, new research from the Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte, Denmark, suggests.

Though exactly how weight loss can positively treat psoriasis in obese patients is not clear, it does appear, according to researchers, that weight loss may reduce obesity-induced inflammation, which subsequently impacts the skin disease.

The randomized clinical trial involved 60 overweight patients with psoriasis at a university hospital outpatient dermatology clinic (ages 25 to 71). Patients were selected at random for one of two groups: intervention group with a low-energy (calorie) diet (LED, 800-1,000 kcal/day) and a control group that maintained their current diet of healthy foods. Researchers measured two outcomes: the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) after 16 weeks and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI).

By the 16^th week, the intervention group’s mean body weight loss was approximately 34 pounds more than mean body weight loss in the control group. The mean differences in PASI and DLQI, which additionally supported the intervention group, were -2.0 and -2.0, respectively, according to study results.

“Our results emphasize the importance of weight loss as part of a multimodal treatment approach to effectively treat both the skin condition and its associated comorbid conditions in overweight patients with psoriasis,” the authors stated.

The findings were published online May 29 in JAMA Dermatology.