What you need to know about the liver-psoriasis connection
Psoriasis is more than just skin deep
Liver function seems to be connected to psoriasis. As I always say here on my blog (and on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube), skin health is a reflection of inner health! This blog post is for you if you have been curious about what inner issues contribute to psoriasis.
In this blog post, we’ll deep dive into what science says about the liver-skin connection. This post is divided into 4 parts:
Liver 101: What Is It & What Does It Do?
Liver-Psoriasis Connection: What Science Says
Liver-Loving Nutrition
Other Things Linked to Psoriasis
Ready to deep dive with me? Keep on reading more!
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AS MEDICAL ADVICE; IS NOT MEANT TO DIAGNOSE, PREVENT, TREAT, OR CURE ANY MEDICAL CONDITIONS OR DISEASE; AND IS MEANT FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THE INFORMATION IN THIS POST DOES NOT REPLACE THE ADVICE OF YOUR MEDICAL PROVIDER. SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING ANYTHING NEW OR SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH ME.
Liver 101: What is it & what does it do?
The liver is a part of gastrointestinal organ system (aka the gut), and it is an organ responsible for detoxification, digestion, vitamin production, and much more.
When looking at detoxification, the liver’s cells, called hepatocytes, transform cellular waste, medications/drugs, and other compounds into soluble products so that they can be shipped out of the body for elimination.
Regarding digestion, the liver is responsible for the production of a necessary digestive fluid called bile. Bile is a yellow-green fluid that is made up of water, electrolytes, cholesterol, bile acids, bile salts, and other compounds. Bile helps with digestion of fats, absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, get rid of excess cholesterol, kill bacteria in ingested food, and more.
Other functions of the liver include playing a role in vitamin D production and transforming inactive thyroid hormone (called T4) into active T3 thyroid hormone.
Liver-Psoriasis connection: What science says
When looking at the liver-psoriasis connection, science tells us that bile could be playing a role - yup, that yellow-green digestive fluid I mentioned earlier.
Bile-Psoriasis science:
Researchers of a 2003 study looked at the effects of bile acid supplementation. They had 800 subjects with psoriasis, and 551 of them took bile acid orally while the remaining 249 received conventional psoriasis therapy.
And after 1-8 weeks, researchers discovered that 434 out of the 551 subjects taking bile acids became asymptomatic! That’s 78.8%!
When looking at the subjects who received conventional therapy, 62 out of the 249 showed “clinical recovery” during that same time period. That’s 24.9%!
Researchers also did a 2-year follow-up on subjects, and 319 out of the 551 subjects who took bile acid (or 57.9%) were still asymptomatic compared to the 15 out of the 249 who received conventional therapy (or 6.0%).
So, what’s going on with bile acid & psoriasis?
To explain what’s going on, the author of a 2018 study suggested that bile acids address gut bacteria in people with psoriasis. And the author goes on to suggest that bile acids drive down inflammatory processes in the gut by driving down bacteria-produced compounds called lipopolysaccharides.
And when looking at the science on gut bacteria and psoriasis, science shows that people with psoriasis experience gut bacteria imbalances - specifically that people with psoriasis have lower gut bacteria diversity.
In addition, science shows that the foods someone regularly eats could impact the gut bacteria-psoriasis connection. And, the foods we commonly eat could also affect bile!
Continue reading to learn more about this!
Liver-loving nutrition: What researchers found
The foods we commonly eat could affect liver health and bile!
When looking at what builds bile acid, there are several building blocks that we can get from our nutrition. In addition, there are lifestyle factors that could affect liver health and bile.
What are the building blocks of bile acid?
The building blocks of bile acids are cholesterol and amino acids. Amino acids used to make bile are glycine and taurine. And when looking at science completed on animal models, researchers suggest that taurine supplementation stimulates both production and release of bile acids in animal models.
According to a 2009 study, the following foods are sources of dietary taurine:
Shellfish
White fish
Dark meat of turkey and chicken
Turkey bologna
What lifestyle factors affect bile quality?
1) Alcohol:
Scientists suggest that alcohol consumption could contribute to bacterial overgrowth in the gut by affecting bile quality. In addition, researchers have found that alcohol has the potential to worsen psoriasis.
2) Cholesterol:
High cholesterol is commonly found in people with psoriasis. When people experience high cholesterol, they can experience fatty liver disease, which can disrupt liver cellar function.
When looking at the literature, scientists have also discovered that fatty liver disease is commonly found in people with psoriasis. And, when cholesterol issues were addressed in people with psoriasis, scientists found that it led to improvement of skin symptoms.
3) Exercise:
A 2021 study showed that regular exercise may promote healthy bile acid metabolism, specifically in obese females who first had a sedentary lifestyle and then engaged in regular exercise.
Other things linked to psoriasis: More than just the gut
I always speak about how skin health is a reflection of inner health, and have primarily been focusing on how gut issues are linked to skin. But, are there other inner issues linked to psoriasis?
Yup, there are!
When reviewing the literature, the following have been linked to psoriasis:
What if you want to address skin health holistically?
The answer is simple: Work with a licensed naturopathic provider. As mentioned earlier, licensed naturopathic providers are experts in holistic and integrative medicine.
As integrative medicine experts, we are trained in both natural and conventional options. So, you will be able to capture a vast array of treatment options to help you achieve your skin goals when you work with a licensed naturoapthic doctor.
If you want to see me, I see patients in-person and virtually. The only caveat is that since I am only licensed in the state of California, I can only see patients who are physically in the state of California (especially for telehealth patients).
Listen to the Holistic beauty podcast:
Curious about how to build a skincare routine holistically?
Dr. Marilyn Merola, ND and I chat all about it below:
Summary & Takeaways (TL; DR)
Scientists discovered that there is a liver-psoriasis connection. They specifically found that a liver-specific secretion, called bile, could be helpful. In a 2003 study, researchers discovered that bile acids helped in 78.8% of subjects with psoriasis.
To explain why bile acid may be helpful, researchers of a 2018 study suggest that bile acids affect the gut microbiome to drive down inflammatory bacteria-produced endotoxins in the gut.
In addition, there are several factors that disrupt bile quality and/or disrupt liver health that are also also associated with psoriasis. Some of those factors are alcohol and high cholesterol.
Given what scientists have discovered, there seems to be a liver-gut connection with psoriasis.
As a licensed naturopathic doctor who focuses on addressing the root issues of my patient’s skin symptoms, this science is honestly really exciting to me.
It gives me avenues to look at when speaking to my patients, asking them questions about the gut-skin axis, and recommending the best labs and treated to support their gut-skin health.
If you know someone with gut issues and psoriasis, share this blog post with them!
Want to learn about skin health from a holistic & integrative POV? Read these blog posts to learn more:
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