July 26, 2023 — A study has found a link between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of psoriasis, suggesting that some people may give you the option to higher manage this skin disease, which affects as much as 8 million people within the United States alone, by increasing their vitamin D intake.
Researchers at Brown University examined nearly 500 cases of psoriasis from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the scientists told the conference the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) in Boston. They compared the topics' statements about how severely their body surface was affected by psoriasis with the vitamin D levels collected in blood samples.
“After accounting for lifestyle factors such as smoking, the analysis showed that lower vitamin D levels and vitamin D deficiency were significantly associated with greater severity of psoriasis,” the ASN said in a Press release. “The researchers also found that patients with the least body surface area affected by psoriasis had the highest average vitamin D levels, while patients with the largest body surface area affected had the lowest average vitamin D levels.”
The researchers said that the condition of individuals with psoriasis could potentially improve in the event that they eat more vitamin D through food regimen and supplements.
“Topical synthetic vitamin D creams are being used as new therapies for psoriasis, but these usually require a doctor's prescription,” said researcher Rachel K. Lim, a medical student on the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. “Our results suggest that a vitamin D-rich diet or oral vitamin D supplementation may also be beneficial for psoriasis patients.”
The researchers said vitamin D poisoning is rare, but victims should seek the advice of their doctor before taking supplements.