Intermittent Fasting, OMAD, Ketosis, Autophagy for Psoriasis: Medical Doctor Explains Pro/Cons

fasting for psoriasis does it help and is it sustainable that’s the topic we’ll dive into today we’ll discuss various types of fasting methods such as water fast intermittent fasting one meal a day and the pros and cons of ketosis hi I’m Dr Chan OAS a surgeon who specializes in reversing complex inflammation naturally using the Mind gut immunity method we’ve refined our methodology over the past 12 years and helped thousands of patients recover we look at conditions such as psoriasis and solve the root cause as you know by now from the hundreds of research papers on the topic the gut microbiome plays a significant role in modulating the immune system response in psoriasis if you want to find out more about how we fix these issues schedule a discovery call with me and I’ll provide you with some helpful tips to get started okay here’s a few studies that describe fasting in the settings psoriasis here’s a 2022 study that looks at the effects of intermittent fasting in psoriasis and here’s a 2024 study that analyzes the outcome of popular diets such as intermittent fasting on skin conditions like psoriasis I’ll break down these studies but I’ll also share with you some personal insights on how fasting impact psoriasis in the long term to begin it’s essential to understand that 80% of your immune system resides in your gut it’s known as the mucosa Associated lymphatic tissue or Mt for short this tissue contains trillions of immune cells that react to what’s inside your intestines and what’s in there mainly food and microbes including bacteria fungi and viruses these microbes break down food and produce secondary and tertiary metabolite which can trigger an immune response that’s why it’s crucial to not only eat the right types of foods but also maintain a healthy and balanced microbiome to address psoriasis inflammation check out my other video titled ideal diet for psoriasis which I’ve Linked In the description below in that video I discussed the four criteria I use to determine if the diet is effective or not in spoiler I’m a big supporter of the phytonutrient diet or phyto Diet we use it frequently in the clinic and see excellent results with psoriasis when combined with a Precision microbiome recalibration many of our psoriasis patients experienced rapid Improvement in their symptoms often within weeks I encourage you to watch that video to understand more about the role of phytonutrients in psoriasis management now the four criteria I use to evaluate whether any dietary approach Works including fast are phytonutrient density and diversity macronutrient requirements microbiome specificity and food sensitivity if you’re curious about why these factors matter again take a look at that ideal diet for psoriasis video it’s linked in the description but I’ll give you a quick recap here so you don’t have to jump between videos phytonutrient density and diversity phytonutrients are powerful micronutrients that help reduce inflammation in the body numerous Studies have emphasized the role of phytonutrients in healing and managing psoriasis this 2023 study analyzed how probiotic and Prebiotic supplementation can improve the gut microbiome and reduce inflammation seen in ptic patients here’s another 2023 study looking at the use of polyphenols as neutrals for treating dermatologic conditions such as psoriasis and here’s one from 2023 that evaluates how cumin contributes to gut microbiome improvements and decreases skin inflammation phytonutrients are ular compounds found primarily in plants and fungi that have a significant positive impact on human health these include well-known terms like superfoods micronutrients and antioxidants research consistently shows that supplementing your diet with phytonutrients can help alleviate psoriasis symptoms phytonutrients are divided into several categories such as tpin phenols chlorophyll thiocyanates phyto enzymes phyto oils prebiotics and alkaloids and while there are other smaller groups out there like betal Lanes from beets and herone from mushrooms focusing on these eight main categories will cover most of your phytonutrient needs deficiencies in these essential nutrients can disrupt the critical mind gut immune skin connection making it harder to manage inflammatory conditions like psoriasis which tends to affect the skin and the joints the goal is to maximize and optimize intake of phytonutrients from everyday foods and by maximize and optimize I mean increasing both the variety and the density of phytonutrients in the diet diet which is crucial for maintaining overall health a diet low in phytonutrients makes it more difficult to overcome inflammatory conditions when fasting we typically get very little or none of these vital nutrients you may feel better temporarily when your digestive system is empty with less food to digest however because of the absence of phytonutrients immune regulation doesn’t happen and symptoms return as soon as fasting ends one suggestion I have is to incorporate herbal teas if you’re considering a water fast for several days or intermittent fasting with six or an 8 Hour eating window herbal tees provide phytonutrients like polyphenols and Turpin which can help reduce inflammation without adding calories next macro requirements for psoriasis macro is short for macronutrients and these are carbs fats and proteins all of which the body requires to function properly I’ve got a tool on my website called macro calculator that can help you figure out your body’s maintenance requirements based on factors like height weight age gender and activ it level it’s important to understand that these macronutrient estimates are based on ideal physiologic function however when fasting you won’t be getting these nutrients in the long term or at best you’ll be getting them in reduced amounts let’s take a look at the different types of fasting water fasts are 24 48 or 72 hours or even up to 5 to 14 days you can also have total caloric restriction consuming fewer than 800 to 1,000 calories per day you can have intermittent fasting which means eating in a 6 hour 8 hour 10 hour or 12-h hour window and you can have one meal a day which is consuming all of your calories in one meal whichever fasting method you choose the underlying benefit comes mainly from ketosis in ketosis your body stops using carbs for energy and starts relying on stored fat and muscle instead supporters of fasting also highlight a process called autophagy where the body cleans up old or damaged cells especially in the skin and this can be an anti-inflammatory but here’s the problem while fasting strategies May temporarily relieve psoriasis symptoms they almost always return so what happens the second time or the third time or over the long term if you keep fasting when the symptoms return eating can become more challenging you might feel bloated lethargic or low energy after meals these symptoms can make it hard to eat properly creating a vicious cycle that’s difficult to break especially if you’re underweight a body mass index or BMI of 18 or lower can be particularly concerning for people with psoriasis you can easily calculate your BMI using the BMI calculator on our Clinic’s website if your BMI is below 18 that’s a serious issue and I’ve treated people with bmis as low as 13 which can be quite severe and when someone with CIS has a low BMI that means that their body is in a catabolic State breaking down muscle and skin rather than building it back up which can slow down healing many of these patients struggle to tolerate food and need careful coaching to reintroduce it into their diets the reason I emphasize this is because the solution to a dysfunctional gut microbiome should never involve avoiding Foods or stopping eating entirely even if fasting makes you feel better in the short term trust me I used to fast myself so I understand the appeal but instead of avoiding food focus on reducing inflammation first then resume normal eating habits when I made this change and when my patients did the results were much more sustainable unfortunately many people with psoriasis have given up on trying to find out the right diet and may end up avoiding food altogether here’s a recent study that shows how intermittent fasting for prolonged periods can increase the risk of cardiac death furthermore if you have caloric restriction for long periods of time and we’re talking over several days weeks or months of intermittent fasting you can also develop the following issues weight loss and muscle wasting thyroid dysfunction cortisol and sympathetic endocrine dysfunction sleep disturbances protein calorie malnutrition which impedes skin healing and inflammation control nausea reflux and a feeling of fullness and decreased appetite and severe intermittent fatigue the reason I emphasize this is that the solution to a dysfunctional gut microbiome should never be to stop eating or avoid eating altogether instead the focus should be on reducing inflammation first then returning to a normal balanced diet but like I said earlier unfortunately many people struggling with sises have given up on finding the ideal diet and may resort to avoiding food which is only worsening the problem now if you’re trying to determine the ideal macronutrient balance for managing psoriasis the key is to focus on fats carbs and proteins to reduce inflammation I recommend that around 50% of your daily calories come from fats with carbohydrates and proteins each making up about 25% the reason carbohydrates make up a smaller portion of the diet especially at first is because harmful gut bacteria and candida in particular thrive on sugar they love carbs and if your microbiome is already out of balance feeding at Sugar will only make the problem worse because you have bad bacteria and funguses in the intestine and then you introduce sugar carbs and fats and that creates inflammation not only in the intestine but your entire body in your joints and in your skin simple sugars like glucose and fructose can stimulate the growth of both harmful bacteria and fungi in psoriasis similarly simple starches such as those found in processed flour can lead to bacterial and fungal overgrowth this observation comes from my extensive experience working with thousands of patients rather other than any specific scientific studies if your goal is to lose weight you might need to reduce both carbs and fats even further while increasing your protein intake and cutting overall calories now on the other hand if you’re trying to gain weight and you have psoriasis you want to increase your total caloric intake and adjust your carb and fat ratio for a more balanced approach tracking your macronutrients can significantly help you achieve your desired health goals it takes effort but it’s well worth it this approach will not only improve your diet balance but also contribute to better long-term health so just a recap the criteria I use to judge whether a diet will work for reversing inflammation longterm in patients with psoriasis are the following phytonutrient focused meeting nutritional requirements microbiome specificity and avoiding food sensitivity and as I mentioned earlier feel free to check out some of my other videos or refer to the description below for additional resources you’ll find links to a body mass calculator a guide to the different types of phytonutrients needed to help manage psoriasis I also have a macronutrient calculator to determine your daily carbs fats and protein needs and a fiber and starch guide to help you avoid carbohydrates that can worsen gut microbiome dysfunction as I mentioned before I help my clients formulate their diets based on these principles and they tend to do quite well the severity of their symptoms often decreases dramatically within a short period of time many of them are able to reduce or even completely stop their medications and live healthier more fulfilling lives with clear skin and non-painful Joints I a strong advocate of the phyto diet for psoriasis which I use routinely for my clients and it’s an effective diet for recalibrating the gut microbiome and addressing issues related to phytonutrient deficiency in psoriasis this diet also avoids food sensitivities while maintaining long-term nutritional needs for those who are undereating this typically means increasing your food intake specifically eating more of the foods that will not only help you gain healthy weight but also heal the inflammation in the right way by following this approach you you can avoid many of the negative consequences of long-term undereating it can be true that reversing the effects of fasting can be hard work but with the right plan it’s entirely possible okay one last thing I would like to hear your thoughts below comment on the types of foods that exacerbate your skin inflammation and what you have done to avoid them and finally if you like this video please like And subscribe and be sure to share this video with someone that you think it will help this is Dr Chan oser with the Mind gut immunity clinic and I’ll see you next time