Kim Kardashian said a plant-based diet is helping her psoriasis - here's what experts think

Kim Kardashian said a plant-based diet is helping her psoriasis - here's what experts think

Kim Kardashian has been open about dealing with psoriasis in the past, and she just shared new details about how she deals with the autoimmune disease. The 41-year-old reality TV star told her sister Kourtney Kardashian that she's trying to eat a plant-based diet to control her psoriasis in a new interview for her sister Kourtney Kardashian's website Poosh.

ICYDK, psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to produce new skin cells in days rather than weeks, explains the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). The cells accumulate on the surface of the skin and can form thick, scaly patches that typically show up on the knees, elbows, lower back and scalp, the AAD notes. It is important to note that psoriasis is not just a skin condition. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), it is also a sign of inflammation in the body, which can lead to other diseases such as psoriatic arthritis (which Kardashian has), cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and mental health problems.

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A plant-based diet is one thing that helps her cope with the disease, Kardashian told Poosh. Although she doesn't go into the specifics of her diet (some consider a plant-based diet to be a plant-based vegan diet, while others consider it a diet that's primarily plant-based but occasionally includes meat and fish), she said she does her "best to stay as plant-based as possible" and "eat as many anti-inflammatory and antioxidant foods as possible." For her, this includes sea moss smoothies and a favorite: plant-based tacos, she said in the interview. (Read more: Irish Sea Moss Benefits That Make It a Real Superfood)

So can switching to a plant-based diet really help with psoriasis symptoms? Research on the topic has been "inconclusive," says Keri Gans, MS, RD, author of The Small Change Diet. For example, a 2019 scientific review of 63 articles on diet and psoriasis suggests that dietary changes alone do not have a “major effect” on psoriasis. However, some specific diets, including a low-calorie diet, a fish oil diet, and a gluten-free diet, may improve the condition when used along with treatments such as immunosuppressants. And while the NPF notes that there is no diet that can cure psoriasis, it suggests that eating heart-healthy foods like lean meats, fish, and low-fat dairy products can reduce the severity of symptoms and reduce the likelihood that psoriasis will progress to another disease.

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"We just don't have a lot of data about using diet to treat psoriasis," says Jessica Cording, MS, RD, author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety. “There are many known anti-inflammatory benefits of consuming some animal products, such as oily fish,” she points out.

"I don't think a plant-based diet is very useful for treating psoriasis," says board-certified dermatologist Ife J. Rodney, MD, FAAD, founding director of Eternal Dermatology Aesthetics and professor of dermatology at Howard University and George Washington University. “Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease, but not all animal products are inflammatory,” she adds, echoing Cording. Additionally, eliminating inflammation from your diet won't necessarily eliminate inflammation in your body, says Dr. Rodney. “Officially, it sounds great,” she admits. “But when you look at the science, it doesn’t connect.”

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However, if you have psoriasis, there is no harm, according to Dr. Rodney doesn't want to examine how what you eat affects your symptoms, if at all. "If you've ever eaten a certain food and thought your psoriasis flared up after it, that could be a trigger in your specific case," she says. Psoriasis triggers are different for everyone, but can include stress, skin injuries, illness, weather and certain foods, according to the NPF.

While Kardashian may see improvement in her psoriasis symptoms with a plant-based diet, experts can't conclude that this might be the case for everyone. However, the entrepreneur can offer words of encouragement to others with the illness. “You have to get to a place where you just feel comfortable and own it,” she recently told Poosh. “Being able to recognize that it is part of you.”