If you have psoriasis, you might wonder whether vitamins or minerals could help improve your skin. Some people with psoriasis have lower levels of certain nutrients, which raises the question: could certain vitamins and minerals help with Psoriasis?

Let’s look at what research tells us about specific vitamins and minerals for psoriasis, including which ones show promise and which ones might not be worth your money.

Vitamins That May Help Psoriasis

Some Vitamins play very important roles in skin health. Research has shown that certain vitamins may improve psoriasis symptoms.

Vitamin E

People with psoriasis often have much lower vitamin E levels in their blood compared to healthy people (1). This finding suggests vitamin E might play a role in psoriasis.

While vitamin E alone hasn’t been well-studied for psoriasis, it shows promise when combined with other antioxidants. One study tested a combination of coenzyme Q10 (50 mg daily), vitamin E (50 mg daily), and selenium (48 micrograms daily) in 58 patients with severe psoriasis. The combination worked better than placebo, improving psoriasis symptoms faster and reducing signs of cell damage (2).

Tip
Vitamin E works best when taken with other antioxidants rather than alone. If you’re considering vitamin E supplements, talk to your doctor about whether a combination antioxidant formula might be right for you.

B Vitamins

The B vitamin family includes several vitamins that may affect psoriasis in different ways.

Folate (Folic Acid)

Folate is especially important if you take methotrexate for psoriasis. Research shows that people with psoriasis often have lower folate levels and higher homocysteine levels in their blood. High homocysteine may increase your risk of heart disease, which is already elevated in people with psoriasis (3).

If you take methotrexate, folate supplements become even more important. A comprehensive review found that folate supplementation reduces liver side effects from methotrexate by about 36% (4).

However, there’s some debate about whether folate affects how well methotrexate works. One small study suggested it might reduce effectiveness, though this needs more research (5).

Vitamin B12

Unlike folate, blood levels of vitamin B12 don’t appear to be different in people with psoriasis (3).

However, vitamin B12 shows promise when applied directly to the skin as a cream. Studies have found that topical B12 preparations can be as effective as standard treatments. In one study, vitamin B12 cream was as effective as calcipotriol (a common psoriasis medication) with better tolerability (6).

Another study found even more impressive results. Patients using B12 ointment achieved an 87.6% improvement in their psoriasis scores, compared to just 23.1% with regular moisturizer (7).

Vitamin D: Surprisingly Does NOT Help

Many people assume vitamin D supplements would help psoriasis, especially since vitamin D creams are commonly prescribed. However, the research tells a different story.

People with psoriasis do have lower vitamin D levels. Studies show psoriasis patients average vitamin D levels of 21 ng/mL, while healthy people average 27 ng/mL (8).

Despite these low levels, multiple studies show that vitamin D supplements don’t improve psoriasis symptoms. A review of four studies with 333 patients found no significant benefit from vitamin D supplementation (9).

Individual studies confirm this finding. One study gave 65 people 100,000 IU monthly for a year with no improvement compared to placebo (10).

Note
While vitamin D supplements don’t seem to improve psoriasis symptoms, maintaining healthy vitamin D levels is still important for your overall health. Talk to your doctor about whether you need vitamin D supplements for general health reasons.

Minerals for Psoriasis

Some trace minerals have been studied for psoriasis, though the evidence is generally limited.

Zinc

The evidence for zinc in psoriasis is mixed. While zinc supplements showed promise for other skin conditions, only one old study tested zinc for psoriatic arthritis. That study found some improvement in joint pain and swelling (11).

People with psoriasis may have different zinc and copper levels than healthy people. One analysis found higher copper levels in psoriasis patients’ blood (12).

Selenium

Research on selenium shows disappointing results. While some studies found lower selenium levels in psoriasis patients, supplementation doesn’t seem to help.

Two studies tested selenium supplements (200 micrograms daily) and found no improvement in psoriasis symptoms, even though blood selenium levels increased (13).

Warning
High doses of zinc can interfere with copper absorption and may cause nausea. Always follow recommended doses and talk to your doctor before starting mineral supplements, especially if you take other medications.

Important Considerations

Before starting any vitamin or mineral supplement for psoriasis, keep these points in mind:

  • Test your levels first. Ask your doctor to check your vitamin and mineral levels before supplementing.
  • Watch for interactions. Some supplements can interact with psoriasis medications. For example, folate may affect how well methotrexate works.
  • Choose quality products. Look for supplements that have been third-party tested for purity and potency.
  • Be patient. Most supplements take several weeks or months to show effects.
  • Supplements aren’t a cure. They work best as part of a complete treatment plan that includes proper medical care.

The Bottom Line

Research on vitamins and minerals for psoriasis reveals some surprising findings. While people with psoriasis often have lower levels of certain nutrients, supplementation doesn’t always help.

The evidence supports vitamin E when combined with other antioxidants, folate for preventing methotrexate side effects, and topical vitamin B12. Despite low levels in psoriasis patients, vitamin D supplements don’t appear to improve symptoms. Minerals like zinc and selenium also show limited benefit.

The main message is that having low nutrient levels doesn’t automatically mean supplements will help your psoriasis. Work with your healthcare team to address any nutritional deficiencies while focusing on proven psoriasis treatments.

Was this article helpful?