Modified intermittent fasting improves the skin symptoms of psoriasis because it significantly reduces peeling and thickness in these people, according to a study carried out by researchers from the University of Ghent (Belgium) and presented at the Spring Symposium of the European Dermato-Venereology Society (EADV).
Why is this improvement produced? According to their conclusions, this is possible thanks to the results of following a modified intermittent fasting diet 5:2. That is: eat normally for five days and restrict calorie intake on two non-consecutive days.
Effect of diet on psoriasis
The effects of dietary interventions on the severity of psoriasis have rarely been investigated, although obesity is known to have an impact on the severity of this disease, which affects between 2 and 3 per cent of the world ' s adult population and 1 per cent of children.
Precisely, the researchers value the study on this issue. We had observed positive results in mice with intestinal inflammation and psoriasis, with inflammation in the intestine boosting skin symptoms, explains the postdoctoral researcher from the Department of Dermatology of the University of Ghent, Dr. Lynda Grine, in statements collected by Europa Press.
Through scientific curiosity and my own experience, I wanted to find out if dietary intervention would have the same effects on human patients with psoriasis, Grine continues.
The intermittent fasting diet is often considered a more manageable approach, allowing participants to adjust the rules to accommodate their personal lives.
Among the most popular diets of this type are the 16:8 diet (16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating) and the 5:2 diet. The latter was used in the investigation in question.