If you have psoriasis, you’ve probably wondered whether what you eat makes a difference, and you may have noticed your doctor rarely brings it up. People living with psoriasis told researchers in a 2025 review that diet and weight rarely get discussed at their appointments.
Psoriasis runs in my family. My dad, sister, and my uncle have it, and my grandpa did too. I wanted one place that sums up what the research actually shows about food and psoriasis.
The short answer is that diet can make a difference. Losing weight helps people carrying extra weight, and in a 2025 trial, 68% of people eating a Mediterranean-style diet improved their psoriasis by at least half, compared with 11% on standard low-fat advice, even without weight loss.
Diet changes work alongside medical care, but they aren’t a substitute.
Looking for a quick list? Download the free Foods to Avoid With Psoriasis printable.
How Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Are Connected
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory condition that usually shows up as red, scaly, itchy patches on the skin. About 3% of US adults (about 7.5 million people) have psoriasis, and women are affected slightly more often than men.
Psoriatic arthritis is the form of psoriasis that affects the joints. About 1 in 5 people with psoriasis also have psoriatic arthritis.
Psoriasis involves inflammation throughout the body, not just in the skin. That’s why psoriasis is linked with other conditions, including:
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Heart and metabolic disease, including fatty liver
- Gut conditions
- Mood disorders
Psoriasis also takes a real toll on quality of life, from itchy, painful skin to stigmatization because of how it looks.
Why Psoriasis Can Change in Midlife
In women, new psoriasis cases peak around age 60. The timing of menopause also seems to matter. In a large UK study, women whose menopause came after age 55 were 34% less likely to develop psoriasis later in life than women whose menopause came earlier (before age 45), which suggests lower estrogen plays a role. Estrogen helps regulate the immune system, and in one study, psoriasis improved for most women during pregnancy, when estrogen is high, and flared for most after delivery.
If you already have psoriasis, menopause may or may not change it. In a 2025 survey of 139 postmenopausal women with psoriasis, about a third said their psoriasis got worse after menopause, and about 4 in 10 noticed no change.
Midlife is also when heart health deserves more attention. Psoriasis and menopause each raise heart disease risk, which is one more reason the eating pattern in this article supports your heart, too.
For more on eating through this stage, see my anti-inflammatory diet for perimenopause.
Does Diet Help Psoriasis? What the Research Says
The National Psoriasis Foundation’s medical board reviewed 55 studies and graded each diet change by how strong the evidence was. The table below starts with their grades and adds the newer trials.
Why Weight Matters
Body fat, especially around the middle, sends out inflammatory signals, including some of the same ones that drive psoriasis. Losing even a little weight can reduce those signals and help your treatment work better.
Balanced anti-inflammatory eating also supports weight loss, so the food changes in this article and a weight loss goal work together.
Small changes count. In one trial of a diet and exercise program, fewer than a third of people reached 5% weight loss, and their psoriasis still improved about twice as much as the comparison group’s. Research shows that more weight lost equals more psoriasis-related benefits.
Diet changes work alongside your medical treatment. In one trial where people stopped their medicine and relied on a lower-calorie diet, diet alone wasn’t enough to keep psoriasis in check.
The Evidence, Strongest First
| Diet change | What the research found | Type of research | How strong |
| Losing weight, if you’re carrying extra | Skin and quality of life both improved, after about 14 lb lost on average; more loss helped more | 13 trials | Strong |
| Gluten-free, if you have celiac disease | Skin improves along with the gut | Guideline | Strong, for people with celiac only |
| Mediterranean-style eating | 68% improved their psoriasis by at least half, vs 11% on low-fat advice, without weight loss | 1 trial plus a large study | Promising |
| Losing weight, for psoriatic arthritis | About 4 times as likely to get the arthritis under control | 1 trial | Moderate |
| A 3-month gluten-free trial, if a blood test shows gluten sensitivity | Skin improved; most got worse after going back to gluten | Small studies | Limited |
| Prescription vitamin D, for psoriatic arthritis | Joints improved | Small studies | Limited, ask your doctor |
| Cutting back on alcohol | Linked with more alcohol-related illness in people with psoriasis; no trial has tested whether cutting back clears skin. | Observational studies | Unclear for your skin. Worth limiting for your liver, your heart, and your medicines |
| Cutting nightshades, or the Pagano diet | Many people say it helped | Surveys only | Untested |
| Fish oil pills | No benefit in 7 of 9 trials | 9 trials | Not recommended. Eat the fish |
| Vitamin D pills, if your level is normal | No skin benefit | Controlled studies | Not recommended. Ask your doctor to check your level. |
“Strong” means research agrees. “Untested” means no one has run a trial yet.
The Mediterranean Diet: The Best-Tested Diet for Psoriasis
What the Trial Looked Like
In 2025, researchers in Spain ran the first randomized trial of the Mediterranean diet for psoriasis. Thirty-eight adults with mild to moderate psoriasis, all already using topical treatment, were split into two groups for 16 weeks:
- One group followed a Mediterranean diet guided by dietitians, with monthly phone calls and free extra virgin olive oil every week. They were encouraged to use about 4 tablespoons a day, with no calorie target.
- The other group got standard low-fat diet advice and no dietitian guidance.
The Results
After 16 weeks, the results were impressive for a diet study.
| Result | Mediterranean diet | Low-fat advice |
| Psoriasis improved by at least 50% | 68% | 11% |
| Improved by at least 75% | 47% | None |
| Improved by at least 90% | 26% | None |
| Used less steroid cream by the end | 63% | 17% |
| Weight change | Under 1 pound | About 3 pounds |
People improved without losing weight, and most were using less steroid cream by the end. The closer people followed the Mediterranean diet, the more their skin improved. Quality of life, sleep, and anxiety also improved. Blood sugar held steady or dipped slightly on the Mediterranean diet, while it crept up on the low-fat advice. Interestingly, the usual blood markers of inflammation didn’t change, even though the skin improved.
This was a small, short study, and the Mediterranean group had more contact with the research team, so larger and longer trials are still needed. Bigger observational studies point the same way. In a study of 35,000 French adults, people with severe psoriasis ate the least like the Mediterranean pattern, and an Italian study linked olive oil and fish intake to milder psoriasis.
Mediterranean Eating Plus Weight Loss: Layering the Benefits
Losing weight improved psoriasis in people carrying extra weight, and a Mediterranean diet improved it even without weight loss. But you don’t have to choose between different eating styles.
The Mediterranean diet works as well as other diets for weight loss, so if losing weight is one of your goals, it can help with both. No trial has tested the two together in psoriasis yet, but each one helps on its own.
| Psoriasis + related health factors | What the research shows |
| Skin alone | 68% improved their psoriasis by at least half on a Mediterranean diet, without weight loss (MEDIPSO 2025) |
| Extra weight | The Mediterranean diet led to as much weight loss as other diets at a year or more, and more than low-fat diets (Mancini 2016) |
| Psoriatic arthritis | Losing 5% of their body weight or more helped people get their arthritis under control (Di Minno 2014) |
| Heart disease | A Mediterranean diet with olive oil or nuts reduced heart attacks, strokes, and heart deaths by about 30% in high-risk adults (PREDIMED 2018). See my 7-day diet plan for high blood pressure. |
| Blood sugar and belly fat | In adults 55 to 75, a lower-calorie Mediterranean diet plus activity led to smaller waists and better blood sugar and triglycerides (PREDIMED-Plus 2019). See my fatty liver diet. |
| Quality of life and mood | Quality of life, sleep, and anxiety improved on a Mediterranean diet (MEDIPSO 2025), and weight loss improved quality of life too (Morrow 2025) |
Psoriasis Foods to Eat
The National Psoriasis Foundation’s medical board suggests people with psoriasis consider trying a Mediterranean-style pattern built around the foods in the table below. The amounts come from an Italian study that compared what people with milder and more severe psoriasis ate. The research behind the exact amounts is still early, so use it as a starting point.
| Food | How often | Try |
| Extra virgin olive oil | Your main cooking or dressing fat. The MEDIPSO trial encouraged about 4 tablespoons a day. | Mediterranean Chickpea SaladSautéed Greens(all made with olive oil) |
| Fish or seafood | At least 3 times a week | Baked salmon with roasted vegetables |
| Vegetables | At least 2 servings a day | Sautéed Greens |
| Fruit | At least 3 servings a day | Anti-Inflammatory Smoothies or the Berry Powerful Smoothie |
| Beans and lentils | At least 3 times a week | Mediterranean Chickpea Salad or Vegetarian Chili |
| Tree nuts | At least 3 times a week | A handful of walnuts, almonds, or pistachios (more ideas) |
| Tomato, onion, and garlic (in a sauce) | At least twice a week | Chili or spaghetti sauce or Fresh Salsa |
| Whole grains | In place of refined grains | Anti-Inflammatory Oatmeal or No-Bake Energy Bites |
Foods to Avoid With Psoriasis
These are the foods worth limiting. In the same Italian research, people who ate fewer simple carbohydrates and less saturated fat tended to have milder psoriasis.
| Limit | Why | Swap it for |
| Sugary drinks, sweets and white-flour foods | Eating less simple carbohydrates was linked with milder psoriasis. | Fruit, whole grains, or one of these anti-inflammatory drinks |
| Fatty processed meats and fried foods | Eating less saturated fat was linked with milder psoriasis. | Fish, beans |
| Ultra-processed snacks | General anti-inflammatory advice; no psoriasis-specific study yet. | Nuts, fruit, yogurt, or Anti-inflammatory snacks to buy |
| Alcohol | Linked to more health problems in people with psoriasis, and to liver concerns with many psoriasis medicines. | Ask your doctor what’s safe with your medicine. |
For more easy swaps by food group, see my anti-inflammatory food swaps.
Nightshades like tomatoes and peppers often show up on “foods to avoid” lists. Still, no trial has tested removing them, and the Psoriasis Foundation’s suggested pattern includes tomato sauce twice a week. If you suspect a food bothers your skin, try leaving out one food at a time and watch for a change.
Want both lists on your fridge? Download the free Foods to Avoid With Psoriasis printable.
Psoriatic Arthritis Diet: What’s Different
If you have psoriatic arthritis, the strongest dietary evidence supports weight loss when needed. In one trial of people starting a biologic medicine, the more weight people lost, the more likely they were to reach minimal disease activity, a low level of joint and skin symptoms that doctors use as a treatment goal:
- Under 5% of body weight lost: 23% reached minimal disease activity
- 5 to 10% body weight lost: 45% reached minimal disease activity
- Over 10% of body weight lost: 60% reached minimal disease activity
The average US woman weighs about 170 pounds, so 5% is about 8½ pounds and 10% is about 17 pounds.
In a Swedish study of adults with a median age of 54, joints, skin, pain, and fatigue all improved after a supervised weight loss program.
Not sure which kind of arthritis you have? My rheumatoid arthritis diet covers the other common type.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gluten Bad for Psoriasis?
Gluten is a problem only for people with celiac disease or a positive gluten sensitivity blood test. Celiac disease is about twice as common in people with psoriasis, but it’s still uncommon. The Psoriasis Foundation doesn’t recommend testing everyone, only people with gut symptoms or a close family member with celiac disease. If you’re planning to be tested, keep eating gluten until then, because testing needs gluten in your diet to be accurate. My Hashimoto’s diet article covers gluten and autoimmune conditions in more detail.
One observation I have made as a dietitian counseling people who want to remove gluten anyway is that they naturally start eating more anti-inflammatory foods when they review their diet and find all the gluten sources. They start preparing more foods from scratch and eating more fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, and gluten-free whole grains. So, I often wonder whether feeling better when not eating gluten is more closely tied to the foods they now eat regularly.
Can Diet Replace My Psoriasis Medication?
No. Every guideline says diet works alongside medical treatment. Food can help your treatment work better, but changing your medicine is a conversation with your doctor.
Takeaways
- A Mediterranean-style way of eating has the best evidence for psoriasis, and it helped even without weight loss.
- If you’re carrying extra weight, small losses count, and more helps more.
- Gluten-free helps only if you have celiac disease or a positive blood test.
- Food works alongside your treatment, so keep your doctor in the loop.
Ready to start? Download the free Foods to Avoid With Psoriasis printable and put it on your fridge.
Let’s get UNstuck and stay UNstuck!