Weight Loss Interventions Linked to Clinically Meaningful Psoriasis Improvement

“In dermatology clinics, what we're finding is that increasingly patients are asking us, “What can I do for my skin apart from these medications? What else can I do? How can I take control of my condition?” We're particularly finding that they're very interested in how they can change their diets, and whether things like weight management and exercise can help,” Sarah Morrow, MSc, MRCP, a clinical doctoral fellow in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, said in an interview with Patient Care Online. Morrow sat down with Patient Care to discuss a systematic review and meta-analysis she coauthored of 13 randomized controlled trials evaluating weight loss interventions in persons with psoriasis.

The analysis included behavioral strategies—diet alone and diet plus exercise—as well as pharmacologic weight loss therapies. Participants in weight loss programs lost approximately 7 kilograms more than those in control groups. Importantly, weight reduction was associated with clinically meaningful improvements in psoriasis severity.

Patients undergoing weight loss interventions were approximately 60% more likely to achieve PASI 75—a 75% reduction in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score—compared with controls. Significant improvements in quality-of-life measures were also observed, a finding highlighted as particularly meaningful by the study’s patient panel.

When researchers compared intervention types, they did not identify a meaningful difference between diet alone, diet plus exercise, or medication-based approaches. Instead, outcomes appeared to correlate with the magnitude of weight loss achieved rather than the specific method used.

Morrow explains that the study was designed to address both growing patient interest in lifestyle modification and clinician uncertainty about the strength of the evidence. For physicians managing patients with psoriasis—particularly in primary care settings—the findings suggest that weight management may serve as a clinically relevant adjunct to traditional psoriasis therapies.

Reference: Morrow S, Hawkins P, Griffiths CEM, et al. Impact of weight-loss interventions on psoriasis severity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. Published online December 19, 2025. doi:10.1111/jdv.70247