Brisk exercise may lower psoriasis risk

Boston - A recently published study suggests vigorous exercise may be associated with a lower risk of psoriasis.

Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital used data from the Nurse’s Health Study II to analyze more than 86,000 women who completed physical activity questionnaires over a 20-year period, starting in 1991. None of the participants had psoriasis when data collection began. Over the study period, slightly more than 1,000 women were diagnosed with the skin condition.

Women who participated in strenuous exercise had a lower multivariate risk of psoriasis (0.72) than the least active.

The study noted that exercise is associated with lower risk of other diseases that also are characterized by systemic inflammation, such as colon cancer and type 2 diabetes.

“Our results suggest that participation in at least 20.9 metabolic equivalent task-hours per week of vigorous exercise, the equivalent of 105 minutes of running or 180 minutes of swimming or playing tennis, is associated with a 25 percent to 30 percent reduced risk of psoriasis compared with not participating in any vigorous exercise,” the authors noted.

The authors suggested the link between physical activity and psoriasis deserves further exploration.

The study was published online in Archives of Dermatology.

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