As Brooke Burke told us earlier this year, she is “very into” intermittent fasting now. “It’s really simple, I’m never hungry, and I’m not afraid of putting good fats into my body, which I know are better for my mind, my hair, my skin,” the 49-year-old said. “It helps create more energy and I actually spend less time working out, and I get better results because I know how to body-sculpt naturally.”
To Burke’s point, while the body-related pluses may seem like benefit number-one, now a new study is saying there’s a pretty big skin-related bonus.
According to an article published today in Dermatology Times, there is a possible association between fasting and skin improvement in psoriasis patients, according to new research by The European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology (EADV), whose study’s objective was “to provide evidence on whether there is a link between gut health and psoriatic lesions.”
“We had observed positive results in mice with gut inflammation and psoriasis, with inflammation in the gut driving cutaneous symptoms,” said Lynda Grine, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher and part of department of dermatology at Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. “Through scientific curiosity and my own experience with fasting as a Muslim, I wanted to find out whether dietary intervention would have the same effects on human patients with psoriasis.”
While the trial is still ongoing, out of the 24 people enrolled in the research group, the fasting group reported significant skin improvement at week six and week 12—including less scaling and skin thickening, with 30 percent of patients claiming a decrease in itching.
“The effect of dietary interventions on skin health is a stimulating field of research in dermatology. The results of this study add to the growing body of evidence being undertaken to understand the relationship between the gut and skin, with some promising results for patients and the disease management of psoriasis,” said Marie-Aleth Richard, PhD, EADV Board member and professor at the University Hospital of La Timone, Marseille, France.
Find a Doctor
Find a NewBeauty “Top Beauty Doctor” Near you