Psoriasis Treatment – The Gluten Link
Researchers have discovered that psoriasis sufferers experience a ‘highly significant clinical improvement’ after 3 months on a gluten-free diet(1). The study surveyed certain immunohistological aspects of involved and non-involved skin in 28 AGA-positive psoriasis patients before and after 3 months of a gluten-free diet. With no other form of treatment, patients on the gluten-free diet saw a significant decrease in all symptoms of psoriasis.
Gluten (from Latin gluten “glue”) is the composite of a prolamin and a glutelin. These exist, conjoined with starch, in the endosperm of some grass-related grains, notably wheat, rye, and barley. Gliadin and glutenin (the prolamin and glutelin from wheat) comprise about 80% of the protein contained in wheat seed. It is thought that many psoriasis sufferers have allergies to some of the compounds within gluten. are Many patient experienced improvements in their skin appearance of 50% or more by the end of the study and the researchers were so impressed that they recommended further study.
Beer, alcohol, gluten and psoriasis
Researchers investigating the effect of beer as a trigger for psoriasis have identified the barley content in the beer as the likely culprit(2). Dermatologists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that women who drink full-calorie beers were more likely to suffer from psoriasis when compared to women who drank light beer, wine or hard liquor. Full-calorie beer has the greatest barley content of the alcohol options, the authors noted, and previous research has indicated that gluten sensitivity, which would be triggered by barley, may be linked to psoriasis.
The study found that:
> Women who drank more than 2.3 alcoholic drinks per week had 72% increased risk of psoriasis compared with non-drinkers.
> Women who drank five glasses of beer per week, their risk of developing psoriasis was 1.8 times higher.
> When stricter criteria were used to confirm psoriasis cases, their risk was increased 2.3 times.
> Non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits were NOT found to increase the risk.
Why not participate in the ongoing global research at http://www.psoriasisresearcher.com which has a study into the effects of a wheat-free diet on psoriasis?
(1) Gluten-free diet in psoriasis patients with antibodies to gliadin results in decreased expression of tissue transglutaminase and fewer Ki67+ cells in the dermis. Michaëlsson G, Ahs S, Hammarström I, Lundin IP, Hagforsen E.
Acta Derm Venereol. 2003;83(6):425-9.
Department of Medical Sciences/Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. gerd.michaelsson@medsci.uu.se
(2) Alcohol Intake and Risk of Incident Psoriasis in US Women – A Prospective Study. Abrar A. Qureshi, MD, MPH; Patrick L. Dominguez, MD; Hyon K. Choi, MD, DrPH; Jiali Han, PhD; Gary Curhan, MD, ScD
Arch Dermatol. Published online August 16, 2010. doi:10.1001/archdermatol.2010.204
