Why is psoriasis “blown” at the holidays

An outbreak of its symptoms occurs immediately after the festive Christmas and New Year’s season in many patients. Stress, food change by introducing more fat, salt and sugar, increasing alcohol consumption, smoking, and body weight, are the stimulating factors that lead to the onset and deterioration of the disease these days. “Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune, skin disease affecting 2–5% of the population in western countries. The body attacks its own tissue, which begins to produce skin cells and forms red on the base and white on top scaly plates, which cause itching. Both the natural and acquired immune system is responsible for its appearance, while the lifestyle and nutrition play an important role in its course,” explains Dermatologist – Afrodisiologist Dr. Christos Stamos. CORVERSE “December is a month with increased obligations and social events, which create stress and exhaustion of the organization. After preparation comes a 15-day day with overconsumption moods. These abuses, however, become a cause of inflammation, which is considered to be the main triggering factor of the symptoms of psoriasis,” he points out. As regards nutrition, research on how certain foods lead to an inflammatory response is ongoing. The data to date show that those who have undergone high treatment are fat, sodium or sugar rich stimulate the body’s defense mechanisms and increase the chances of psoriasis. More specifically: Fat meats, full dairy products, fried and margarine, are known to cause inflammation in the body. Thus a high – content diet of these foods aggravates skin diseases such as psoriasis, increasing the level of inflammatory cytokines in the skin. ADVERSE also leads to weight gain. Studies have shown that excessive body fat facilitates disease development and aggravation of its symptoms due to continued inflammation of fatty tissue. In addition to fats, the intolerance that some people have in casein and lactose contained in dairy products can become a cause of exacerbation of dermatitis, since these substances lead to bowel irritation and inflammation. Excessive sugar intake may also increase cytokine levels, which play a major role in controlling the immune response. The pathogenesis of psoriasis involves IL-23, while IL-17 and IL-22 cause cell proliferation and inflammation. This leads to the consumption of sugar and artificial sweeteners, due to the storage of calories in fat cells. Processed carbohydrates also increase the end products of advanced glycosylation, which are substances in the blood that can lead to inflammation, but also to the development of diseases such as diabetes mellitus 2 and arthritis. Alcohol affects physical and adaptive immunity and is considered a starting factor of inflammation and exacerbation. In addition, mouse studies show that liver damage caused by it leads to impaired skin barrier function. Alcohol consumption still increases the susceptibility to infections, stimulates the proliferation of lymphocytes and keratinocytes and the production of cytokines and mast cells, which play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. It can lead to inflammation and because it harms good intestines. High sodium intake plays a crucial role in psoriasis, as it enhances the activation of immune cells, promotes the accumulation of inflammatory cytokines, but also obesity. A recent study carried out in 433,788 participants who were monitored for 14 years showed a positive correlation between the frequency of salt added to food and the risk of psoriasis. Researchers, who published their study in the Journal of Autoimmunity, observed that participants with high genetic risk and the highest frequency of salt added to foods experienced a 149% higher risk of psoriasis, compared to participants with low genetic risk and the lowest frequency of salt added to foods. Positive correlation was independent of many other risk factors and may be partly due to obesity and inflammation. Studies have also shown that psychological stress contributes to the emergence of psoriasis, as does smoking. “In the holiday season few are the tempers who were not lured into culinary “sins”. Everyone has had more or less to drink and smoked more, have limited their activities, have forgotten the gym and put on a few pounds more. But all this for those suffering from psoriasis is aggravating and it is very likely that they have caused an outbreak of the disease. Returning to a healthy lifestyle based on a proper diet program, rich in antioxidants, o-3, fruits and vegetables can reduce inflammation and restore the body. Mediterranean diet, which includes foods that have anti-inflammatory properties, low fat and few calories, can improve general health and reduce the severity of psoriasis symptoms in the long term. It is ideal for weight management. Good nutrition, like exercise, is proven to enhance treatment and can improve patient symptoms. For some, it can even differentiate treatment and instead of requiring systemic medications or injections only local treatment is sufficient. Given the side effects that drugs may cause, the positive effect of healthy life could make a great difference in its quality. For those who experience difficulty with medication or supplemental treatment they can try phototherapy, i.e. exposure of the skin to an artificial UVB light source for a specified period of time in the practice. Of the two types of UVB therapy, the broad and narrow spectrum, the second is preferred, as it is more effective and faster in the remission of symptoms but also because the periods of recession last longer,” Dr Stamos concludes.