Your skin is a reflection of your gut health.

August is national Psoriasis month. Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune condition that causes skin cells to rapidly grow causing red, itchy, white/silvery skin patches anywhere on the body.

If you suffer from this itchy, unpleasant and sometimes painful condition you may know how frustrating managing it can be. Common treatments can range from oral or injected medications to topical creams or light therapy. Yet given the increase in evidence of the gut/psoriasis connection, have you looked deeper into the causes or triggers of psoriasis to help manage this chronic inflammatory skin condition?

Triggers

Common triggers of psoriasis are:

• Stress
• Infections
• Smoking
• Alcohol use

Yet there is increasing evidence to show dysbiosis and food allergies or food sensitivities may also aid in the development  of psoriasis.

Our gut microbiome is home to about 30 trillion bacteria cells. Commensal bacteria (the good guys) contribute to a healthy immune system; while non-commensal bacteria (the bad guys) contribute to inflammation.

Dysbiosis

Dysbiosis is a condition related to the loss of the good bacteria and a rise in non-commensal bacteria in the gut. The composition of the gut bacteria in people with psoriasis has been shown to have dysbiosis with an imbalance of Prevotella species, Escherichia species, Proteobacteria species and a decrease in commensal bacteria Akkermansia and Faecalibacterium species. Prevotella bacteria thrive on a starchy, simple carbohydrate diet similar to the Standard American Diet. Proteobacteria prefer a fatty diet, yet also contribute to systemic inflammation by producing LPS, an endotoxin which can drive more inflammation throughout the body. Akkermansia, specifically Akkermansia municiphila, promotes a healthy mucosal layer in the gut and loves a diet rich in cranberries, cherries and grapes (all the great summertime fruits). The Faecalibacterium species of good bacteria thrives on grapes, kiwis, garlic and chicory coffee. You can learn if your biome has these imbalances with a simple stool test. Strong Meridian offers the GI Map stool test, which tests for imbalances in all of the above species of bacteria and many more.

Food Reactions and Psoriasis

Let’s not forget the food aspect as it relates to psoriasis. Diet certainly does contribute to the healthy gut/skin connection. The National Psoriasis Foundation acknowledges some psoriasis sufferers do have a gluten sensitivity that will promote their symptoms and will recommend a gluten-free diet. Yet for some, dairy can also be a trigger. As psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory condition, testing for food sensitivities could be a therapeutic tool used for the management of inflammation and control of psoriasis symptoms.

Diet induced inflammation can cause three different types of reaction in the body: allergy, autoimmune disease or sensitivities. Food sensitivities are the most common type of diet-induced inflammatory reactions. These reactions are non-allergenic and are not celiac-type inflammation reactions, but do involve the innate or adaptive immune pathways. Because these reactions are complex and occur through multiple mechanisms, they can be the most clinically challenging and thus, often go undiagnosed. The lack of general knowledge within conventional medicine can also leave people suffering for years.

Food Triggers

Food and food-chemical sensitivities have challenging characteristics that make can make it difficult to identify trigger foods. Symptoms can be delayed by many hours or even days after ingestion, symptoms can be dose dependent, and even “good for me foods” like salmon, apples, turmeric or garlic can be reactive.

Inflammation

The most common feature of all diet-induced inflammation is that the reaction is a mediator release reaction. Any white blood cell (neutrophil, monocyte, eosinophil, lymphocyte) can produce a mediator release (release cytokine, leukotriene, prostaglandian, etc.) This reaction is true for any delayed reaction, a dose-dependent reaction or whether the reaction comes from the innate or adaptive immune system. As all food-induced inflammatory reactions involve this mediator release response, this is what a person wants tested to identify true food sensitivities.

Testing

Is your food contributing to your psoriasis? Strong Meridian only uses LEAP/MRT food sensitivity testing provided by Oxford Biomedical Technologies. Test, don’t guess, and don’t waste your money on cheap tests that actually provide you with what you need. Many people can be taken advantage of by uneducated practitioners or retail sites selling food sensitivity tests in a little box. Don’t get taken advantage of. Do your own research before testing and then reach out to me at Strong Meridian to see how I can help you.

More Information

Here are some other resources for you to review:

• Gut Microbiota in Psoriasis
• Scientists bust myth that our bodies have more bacteria than human cells
• Gluten intake and risk of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and atopic dermatitis among United States women
• Blood testing for sensitivity, allergy or intolerance to food