Active psoriasis added to harms of ultra-processed foods
People with active psoriasis symptoms are more likely to be consumers of ultra-processed foods, say French researchers in findings that add to the ills of these questionable comestibles.
Consuming large amounts of ultra-processed foods is associated with active psoriasis, when sufferers experience visible symptoms such as inflamed or cracked skin, and marked discomfort, French scientists have discovered.
Ultra-processed foods are types of packaged foods that have been heavily altered during production, and often contain ingredients typically not found in a home kitchen, like artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners or colourings.
These foods go through multiple processing steps, often to improve their taste, texture, shelf life or convenience, and include sugary drinks, packaged snacks, breakfast cereals and ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat foods.
A panoply of ills
Earlier this year, an analysis of data on nearly 10 million individuals from 45 studies found that greater consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with an increased risk of death related to heart disease by 66%, a 40% increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and a 21% increased risk of the signs of depression.
People who consumed ultra-processed foods were also 41% more likely to have poor sleep, and had a 40% increased risk of wheezing and a 55% increased likelihood of obesity, although the nature of the study meant it cannot be proven that the foods were to blame.
At the time, Professor Martin Warren, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at the Quadram Institute in Norwich, Norfolk, UK, said the analysis “reinforces something we have known for some time—that, broadly speaking, certain ultra-processed foods are bad for human health.”
Specifically, “high energy, low nutrient-density foods in excess are causing problems and ways to mitigate this issue need to be found.”
A high intake
To investigate whether there is an association between ultra-processed foods and active psoriasis, Emilie Sbidian, MD, PhD, Département de Dermatologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France, and colleagues, examined data from the NutriNet-Santé study.
Participants in the study completed a questionnaire on whether or not they had psoriasis and, if so, whether it was active. They also reported their intake of ultra-processed foods, which was divided into low, medium and high levels.
From over 18,528 people who took part in the NutriNet-Santé study, the researchers identified 1825 who had psoriasis, of whom 803 had active disease.
People with active disease were less likely to be female than other people with psoriasis and those without the condition, and more like to have obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) over 30 kg/m2. They were also less likely to undertake high-intensity exercise, and more likely to have heart disease and diabetes.
Taking into account those and other factors that could affect the results, the researchers found that people with active psoriasis were 36% more likely to have a high intake of ultra-processed foods than people without the condition.
In contrast, people with inactive psoriasis were no more likely to be big consumers of ultra-processed foods than non-sufferers.
Sbidian and colleagues call for more large-scale studies to determine whether ultra-processed foods play a role in the onset of psoriasis.
The research was published by JAMA Dermatology on November 27.
The study was supported by the French Society of Dermatology. The NutriNet-Santé study is supported by Ministère de la Santé, Santé Publique France, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord.
Co-author Mathilde Touvier, PhD, from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research, Paris, France, reported receiving grants from the NutriNet-Santé study, which was supported by Ministère de la Santé, Santé Publique France, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Institut National de la Recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, and University Sorbonne Paris Nord during the conduct of the study.
No other relevant financial disclosures were reported.
Liam Andrew Davenport is a medical reporter with more than 20 years’ experience covering a wide range of specialties and topics in the field.