Western Diet and Psoriatic-Like Skin and Joint Diseases: A Potential Role for the Gut Microbiota

Shi et al. (2021) in “Short-term Western diet intake promotes IL-23-mediated skin and joint inflammation accompanied by changes to the gut microbiota in mice” show that Western diet (WD) exacerbates an IL-23 minicircle‒mediated model of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, with an expansion of IL-17A‒expressing γδ T cells and shifts to the gut microbial community. WD-associated inflammation is mitigated by diet manipulation or antibiotic administration. These results suggest that dietary manipulation may be useful in the treatment of IL-23‒mediated disease, possibly through the modulation of the gut microbiota.