Discussing Nutrition's Role in Psoriasis Management, With Rajani Katta, MD

Speaking in an interview with HCPLive, Rajani Katta, MD, author, board-certified dermatologist, and clinical faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine and McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, described highlights from her session and emphasized her view, suggesting dermatology clinicians should take a more active role in discussing diet with patients, including those living with psoriasis.1,2

In her on-site interview with HCPLive at the 2026 SDPA Summer Dermatology Conference, Katta highlighted that psoriasis extends beyond one’s skin. Patients are at increased risk for diabetes, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and other cardiovascular conditions. As a result, Katta believes discussions regarding lifestyle modification are a necessary component of ensuring comprehensive care.

"One of the biggest takeaways for psoriasis was that patients with psoriasis are at higher risk for comorbidities," Katta stated. She added that many patients may be unaware of such comorbidities, encouraging dermatology clinicians to initiate related conversations and ensure patient education related to nutrition changes designed to help diminish long-term cardiovascular risk.

Although Katta noted the necessity of successful lifestyle modifications to implement a multidisciplinary approach, potentially with collaboration between primary care and nutrition professionals, she also pointed to emerging data indicating direct effects of diet on psoriasis disease activity.

During her interview, she discussed some of the most promising areas of research, highlighting early research assessing anti-inflammatory dietary patterns, particularly the Mediterranean diet. While existing literature may remain limited, she described current data suggesting that dietary interventions will eventually become a meaningful adjunct to conventional psoriasis therapies.

Later, Katta also noted the link between body weight and psoriasis severity, adding that weight reduction has been connected with improvements in one’s level of skin disease in those with overweight or obesity. She further described a growing interest in glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, noting that their benefits may extend beyond weight management.

Overall, Katta challenged clinicians working in dermatology to become more comfortable discussing nutrition during routine clinical visits with their patients. Instead of the typical referrals of such conversations to other health care providers or nutritionists, she stated her belief in dermatologists’ ability to understand the fundamentals of diet-related skin health. Holding such discussions with patients can enable broader conversations about dietary triggers and the effects of eating patterns.

Disclosures: Katta has reported serving on an advisory board for Vichy Laboratories and is the author of a book on diet and dermatology for the general public.

References

1. Katta R. Diet and dermatology: what to say when your patients ask. Presented at: SDPA Summer 2026; June 10-14, 2026; Denver, CO.

2. Katta R. What clinicians should know about diet and skin disease, with Rajani Katta, MD. HCPLive. July 7, 2026. Accessed July 8, 2026. https://www.hcplive.com/view/what-clinicians-should-know-about-diet-skin-disease-rajani-katta-md