Excess belly fat has ‘surprising’ link to chronic skin condition: study

As if excess belly fat is not bad enough, researchers now say it brings a significantly higher risk of developing a chronic inflammatory skin disease.

Researchers from King’s College London evaluated 25 different measurements of body fat and found that those related to the belly were most strongly linked to psoriasis, according to a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Data from more than 330,000 participants in the United Kingdom showed that waist-to-hip ratios, abdominal fat ratios, total abdominal fat tissue and waist circumferences were most associated with psoriasis — more so than less precise forms of measurement such as body mass index (BMI).

“Our research shows that where fat is stored in the body matters when it comes to psoriasis risk,” lead researcher Dr. Ravi Ramessur said in a statement.

An estimated 3% of the population — 125 million people — are plagued with symptoms like red or discolored, scaly, itchy patches on the skin brought on by the autoimmune condition.

A spare tire in the midsection was consistently linked to psoriasis despite genetic predisposition, according to the study, suggesting it is an independent risk factor.

The relationship was particularly pronounced in females, the researchers found, likely because of hormonal and immune system differences.

“We were surprised by how consistently strong the association was across different central fat measures and how much stronger the effect was in women,” Ramessur added.

Researchers say the findings have important implications for prevention and treatment strategies.

“As rates of obesity continue to rise globally, understanding how different patterns of body fat influence chronic inflammatory conditions such as psoriasis is important,” said Catherine Smith, a professor at King’s St. John’s Institute of Dermatology and a senior author of the study.

Meanwhile, researchers in China found that a high relative fat mass, or RFM, directly increases the likelihood of developing psoriasis.

RFM, which looks at height and waist circumference, also provides more precise measurements than conventional techniques like BMI.

For every extra unit of RFM, the risk of psoriasis goes up a whopping 7%, according to the analysis of more than 6,000 people published June 9 in the Journal for Lipids in Health and Disease.