Treatment for psoriatic arthritis can be much more effective when those extra pounds are shed. For overweight persons, any weight loss comes with significant health benefits and for people trying to get their psoriatic arthritis managed, this could mean reduced symptoms much to their benefits. The severity of this disease can be greatly lessened when dieting is combined with the prescribed biologic drug rather than just taking the medication alone as reported by a recently published study.

During the study, a biologic drug was given to the participants and this one tends to block TNF-alpha effect, which is a protein for promoting inflammation and was later on followed by a diet for weight loss. When six months elapsed, those who had lost at least 5% of their body weight were noted to have better success when it came to getting their psoriatic arthritis controlled. The success achieved was proportionate to the weight loss levels achieved and seemed to be more successful for those with 10% or more loss.

How psoriatic arthritis is linked to obesity

Psoriatic arthritis is essentially an autoimmune disease and what this means is that the defense mechanism of the body tends to attack the tissues of the body similar to the way it does to the foreign invaders. This attack results in swelling known as inflammation and irritation. For the past few years, there has been overwhelming evidence on the link between psoriatic arthritis inflammation and psoriasis as well as rheumatoid arthritis. Even though the whole story is not known yet, it tends to seem that the fat cells are somehow metabolically active and could in some way cause irritation to the immune system. There is a high likelihood of obese persons to experience severe psoriasis and there is a more likelihood of them developing psoriatic arthritis. A theory that exists is that TNF- alpha secretion could be secreted by fat cells which consequently make blocking drugs used as treatment less effective when excess fat is being carried.

Weight loss tips for Psoriatic Arthritis patients

Even a 5% loss in your body weight could help a lot when it comes to managing psoriatic arthritis as pointed out by experts. In addition, taking some load off from your joints could reduce the need for medication as well. It is essential that you start on a plan for weight loss, which combines a reduction in calorie which involves increased exercise and diet as suggested here below:

  • Eat fruits, whole grains and vegetables in plenty
  • Avoid taking trans fats, saturated fats and processed and refined foods
  • Consult your physician on the best weight loss diet for you
  • Speak to your doctor on how to set up a safe exercise program
  • Muscle your joints better by including some strengthening exercises and stretching for flexibility.