Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Fecal Microbiota Transplant in Psoriatic Arthritis

A study published in Clinical Therapeutics suggested that clinicians could consider recommending hypocaloric or Mediterranean diets in addition to standard management of psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Researchers aimed to explore the roles of anti-inflammatory diets and fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) in PsA management and whether their combination may offer alternative treatment strategies.

The review was informed by a non-systematic literature search using PubMed and Google Scholar with terms such as anti-inflammatory diet, FMT, nutrition supplements, and PsA. Preclinical studies and non-English language articles were excluded.

Findings indicated that current randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies suggest hypocaloric and Mediterranean diets can facilitate weight loss in overweight or obese patients with PsA, thereby reducing inflammation and improving disease activity. However, there is insufficient evidence to support the beneficial effects of intermittent fasting, vitamin supplements, turmeric supplements, probiotics, or omega-3 fatty acid supplements in PsA. Evidence on FMT's efficacy in PsA is limited, with only one small RCT conducted, which did not show improvement in clinical symptoms.

The review concluded that clinicians may consider recommending hypocaloric or Mediterranean diets as adjuncts to standard PsA management, potentially under the guidance of a dietician. This combined approach could offer new avenues for treating PsA by leveraging the interconnectedness of diet, the gut microbiome, and inflammatory processes.

“Further research is needed to explore the beneficial effects of the synergistic role of combining an anti-inflammatory diet with FMT in PsA,” the authors concluded.

Reference
Gopalarathinam R, Sankar R, Zhao SS. Role of anti-inflammatory diet and fecal microbiota transplant in psoriatic arthritis. Clin Ther. Published online June 10, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2024.05.005