From healthcentral.com
While vitamin D and fish oil can help with skin plaques, proceed with caution—and under the supervision of your doctor
While a psoriasis diagnosis can often seem discouraging, with so many effective psoriasis treatments these days it’s possible to find an effective plan that works for you. On top of psoriasis medication, science suggests that other lifestyle additions can help, such as including certain vitamins and other supplements in your diet.
The vitamins that people living with psoriasis may benefit from include oral supplements, like vitamin D and fish oil, as well as topical options, according to Kyle Cheng, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Los Angeles and the supervisor of UCLA’s Psoriasis Specialty Clinic. But it’s buyer beware, since some vitamins and supplements touted for psoriasis just don’t have the science to back up their efficacy. No matter, it’s always a good idea to run changes to your psoriasis management plan by your doctor first. Here, we clear things up about what vitamins are good for psoriasis—and which ones you could probably shelve.
Which Vitamins Are Good for Psoriasis?
While vitamins and minerals play essential roles in overall health for everyone, they may be particularly important for individuals with psoriasis since some vitamins and minerals (taken orally or applied topically) are anti-inflammatory, immune regulating, or able to help rebuild damaged cells, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
However, it’s also important to consider getting vitamins naturally through a balanced diet, not only for their potential to alleviate psoriasis symptoms but for overall well-being.
GettyImages/Janine Lamontagne
Vitamin A
While research in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology has found that people with psoriasis tend to have lower levels of vitamin A in their skin (which may contribute to the dysregulation of skin cell turnover), it’s unclear so far whether supplementing with an oral vitamin A will have any improvement on psoriasis symptoms. There is an oral retinoid on the market—a.k.a. synthetic vitamin A—called Soriatane (acitretin), but it has to be prescribed by a derm and comes with side effects like hair loss, scaly skin, and joint pain, according to Dr. Cheng.
The exception here? Topical vitamin A in the form of a retinoid cream or ointment can be a powerful treatment for thick, raised areas of plaque psoriasis, says Dr. Cheng. While you might know retinoids best for their anti-aging ability to smooth fine lines, they can also reduce the redness, inflammation, and scaliness associated with psoriasis.
Vitamin A is a potent antioxidant, according to Hadley King, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and a clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. That means that it fights oxidative stress in the body, which can otherwise lead to inflammation, which is a driver of flares in people with psoriasis—so it’s always worth getting some vitamin A by consuming natural sources, such as:
Carrots
Mangos
Red peppers
Spinach
Sweet potato
B Vitamins
Similarly to oral vitamin A, the benefits of oral and topical B vitamins on psoriasis aren’t clear cut. “Vitamin B12 deficiency has been reportedly associated with psoriasis, but well-designed trials have failed to show any benefits of B12 supplementation,” says Dr. Cheng. Again, an associated deficiency doesn’t necessarily mean that supplementing with it will improve your case.
Vitamin C
Dr. King points to vitamin C as another vitamin that serves as an antioxidant, giving it an anti-inflammatory benefit. For psoriasis specifically, however, there’s little to no data that suggests that vitamin C supplementation, either orally or topically, has any benefit.
Vitamin D
Of all the vitamins, “vitamin D has been most closely tied to psoriasis,” says Dr. Cheng. In studies, “lower vitamin D levels have been correlated to severity of psoriasis—the lower the levels, the worse the psoriasis—and vitamin D deficiencies are more common in psoriasis patients.” Dr. Cheng advises people with psoriasis to get their vitamin D levels checked by their doctor periodically so they can supplement it if needed with vitamin D3 (a fat-soluble version).
Want to eat your vitamin D? Common dietary sources of vitamin D include:
Cod liver oil
Eggs
Fortified milk
Mushrooms
Salmon
Sardines
Trout
As for the benefits of taking additional vitamin D for psoriasis beyond a confirmed deficiency, the jury is out. “Studies have shown mixed results, but a recent systematic review and meta-analysis indicated no benefit to psoriasis after supplementation with vitamin D,” says Dr. Cheng.
However, as with vitamin A, vitamin D analogues—which are man-made versions that come in the form of topical creams—may have some benefit for cases of mild-to-moderate psoriasis. And it’s important to note that using vitamin D analogues aren’t an alternative to staying out in the sun without proper protection. “While we all know that more sunlight can increase vitamin D levels, I caution patients to be very careful and to still use sunscreen when outdoors [since] getting a sunburn could significantly worsen their psoriasis,” says Dr. Cheng.
Other Nutrients That May Help Psoriasis
Besides vitamins, other dietary nutrients hold promise for alleviating psoriasis symptoms. As with any supplement, though, there are some big considerations to keep in mind—like whether they can work alongside your current psoriasis treatment and if they come with any potential side effects.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Some good news: Omega-3 fatty acids “may slightly improve psoriasis,” says Dr. Cheng, who explains that it works by decreasing overall inflammation in the body. “This appears to be the most promising of all the supplements,” he adds. One scientific review in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology even found that it works especially well with other treatments, like topical vitamin D analogues and oral retinoids. You can also find it in a variety of foods, such as:
Fish (like salmon and tuna)
Nuts
Plant oils
Seeds
Glucosamine and Chondroitin
Produced naturally by the body, glucosamine and chondroitin are components of cartilage, which cushions your joints—which explains why they’re popular in dietary supplements for osteoarthritis. There’s some evidence to show that chondroitin may be beneficial in diseases for which inflammation is a marker, psoriasis included, but so far there’s no hard evidence that this is the case.
Turmeric
Turmeric may help alleviate psoriasis symptoms, including inflammation and skin cell damage, through its action as an antioxidant, says Dr. Cheng, who adds that “turmeric is generally considered safe.” It’s also versatile: There are many ways to incorporate turmeric into your diet in addition to herbal supplements, such as blending it into smoothies and tossing it with roasted vegetables.
Methylsulfonylmethane
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), an organic sulfur compound that can be found naturally in green plants like broccoli, kale, and spinach, has become popular for its purported benefits as an anti-inflammatory agent, and research suggests it may help with arthritis since it can modulate the body’s immune response. However, there’s no evidence that it can help symptoms of either psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. “One paper indicated it may help with nail psoriasis when applied topically,” says Dr. Cheng, adding that “there are some studies which improve osteoarthritis, but this is unrelated to psoriasis.”
Side Effects of Taking Vitamins for Psoriasis
All supplements come with side effects, so it’s important to talk to your dermatologist before shopping the shelves. For instance, excess vitamin D supplementation can lead to nausea, vomiting, and kidney stones, while fish oil can lead to nausea and diarrhoea (not to mention the tell-tale fishy taste), says Dr. Cheng.
Not only can a doctor tell you whether you have a deficiency in the first place, but consulting with them is also the best way to manage side effects and “avoid interactions with other medications and to optimize dosing,” says Dr. King.
How Vitamins and Diet Help the Health of Your Skin
For overall skin health, a plant-based diet may be the way to go. That’s because psoriasis and chronic inflammation create a cycle—and plant-based diets may break it by minimizing inflammation caused by your diet, according to a recent report in the journal Nutrients. Also helpful are fermented foods, which are rich in probiotics for psoriasis, and naturally prebiotic foods like oatmeal. “Probiotics and prebiotics are also recommended because they may decrease proinflammatory cytokines,” says Dr. King.
Just as important is what you leave off your plate. For instance, “saturated fats found in animal products, like red meat and butter, can increase the concentration of interleukins and contribute to inflammation in psoriasis,” says Dr. King. She also recommends avoiding foods with a high glycaemic index, meaning they increase blood sugar. And while going gluten-free won’t clear your psoriasis, it can still help if you suspect you have a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.
Along with the vitamins and nutrients from your diet, psoriasis medication will likely play an important role in reducing symptoms. After all, says Dr. Cheng, “there have been amazing breakthroughs in psoriasis over the last 10 years.” To that end, try pairing healthful eating with science-backed treatments like:
Biologics
Excimer laser therapy
Oral medications like Otezla (apremilast) and Rheumatrex (methotrexate)
Over-the-counter or prescription topical creams like Clobex (clobetasol propionate)
Ultraviolet light treatments
Takeaways
It’s important to keep in mind that while some vitamins may seem to help with skin symptom management, “psoriasis is rarely caused by a vitamin deficiency, nor is it usually sufficiently treated with vitamin supplementation,” says Dr. Cheng.
It’s more important to look at the bigger picture, which is eating a well-rounded diet with lots of fruits and veggies and talking to your doctor to put together a comprehensive treatment plan. After all, even though loading your plate with spinach might not make your plaques disappear completely, it’ll still do you good in the long run.
https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/psoriasis/vitamins-for-psoriasis
