A natural path to healthier skin

It’s easy to forget that your skin is an organ, too—the human body’s largest one, in fact. And that it’s just as susceptible to the burden of obesity as any other organ.

So it’s really no surprise that extra weight is a prime risk factor for chronic inflammatory skin diseases like psoriasis. (Or that—in addition to painful, itchy scales and plaques, this disease takes a toll on your heart’s health, too.)

That’s why it also shouldn’t surprise you that recent lab research points to the Western diet—overloaded with sugar and unhealthy fats—as the real smoking gun behind this connection. Because where there’s smoke, you can bet there’s fire…

Before obesity, there’s inflammation

As part of a recent study appearing in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, researchers at UC Davis fed mice a diet high in fat and sugar to mimic Western eating habits.

Within just four weeks, the mice saw significant swelling on their ears, along with visible skin inflammation, compared to the mice on a control diet. (Meanwhile, mice on a high-fat diet alone also managed to dodge these symptoms… showing us, yet again, that sugar kills.)

That’s not all. Obviously, it didn’t take long for the Western diet to trigger these changes—and, in fact, problems started well before any of these mice even put on significant weight.

Why? Well, according to these researchers, an excess of bile acids might be to blame. Your liver makes these acids from cholesterol, and your gut bacteria metabolizes them in your intestine.

They also play a key role in fat absorption and blood cholesterol balance. And as it turns out, they mediate psoriasis, too: This study found that binding and excreting bile acids with a drug called cholestyramine was able to lower skin inflammation.

But as I’ve explained here before, keeping your gut healthy will have the same effect on bile acid balance and inflammation levels without pharmaceutical intervention. And the best way to do that?

Well… with your diet, of course.

A better diet is just the first step

Now, it’s true that these are mice and not actual human patients. But given what we already know about the inflammatory nature of the Standard American Diet, I see no reason not to take these results at face value… and if you haven’t already, to change your habits accordingly, starting today.

As always, you can start by picking up a copy of my A-List Diet book. This eating plan is built on fresh, whole, clean food that will turbocharge your metabolism and help you lose weight for good.

But it’s also designed to help you to extinguish inflammation from the inside out… without giving up the decadent, mouthwatering meals that you deserve.

That said, dealing with your diet is just the first step where managing a condition like psoriasis is concerned. That’s why I devoted an entire feature to the subject back in the December 2017 issue of my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives (“Why that winter psoriasis flare-up is more dangerous than you may realize”).

Plus, you’ll find information about another unlikely ally in the fight against psoriasis (and a new rising star of the supplement world) in this month’s issue: CBD oil. So if you haven’t yet, consider subscribing today—you really don’t want to miss this.

Source:

“Western diet rich in fat and sugar linked to skin inflammation.” Science Daily, 02/18/2020. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200218161720.htm)