A debilitating skin condition affecting more than a million Brits could be caused by ‘too much’ iron

A debilitating skin condition affecting more than a million Britons could be due to ‘too much’ of dietary iron, scientists have discovered.

Psoriasis leaves sufferers covered in unsightly red, scaly patches and affects one in 50 people in Britain.

Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, 43, and model Cara Delevingne, 32, have spoken about their battles with the incurable disease.

Although doctors aren’t sure what causes the flare-ups, it is believed that people with psoriasis have too many skin cells, which build up and cause an itchy rash all over the body.

But now research from the University of Bath suggests the condition may be caused by a fault in the hormone responsible for regulating iron levels.

Iron is essential for transporting oxygen through the body’s circulatory system and maintaining healthy skin.

However, when too much is produced in the skin, the nutrient can be harmful: it enhances the effects of UV sunlight and causes diseases such as psoriasis, where the cells multiply more than normal.

The study, published in Nature Communications, claims that the key to understanding overproduction lies in the hormone hepcidin, which controls how much iron is absorbed from food and released into the body.

In healthy individuals, the hormone is produced exclusively in the liver, but in patients with psoriasis it is also produced in the skin.

Scientists used mice to show that mammals develop psoriasis when exposed to high levels of hepcidin.

Dr. Charareh Pourzand, from the University of Bath, said: ‘Psoriasis is a life-changing disease. A new treatment aimed at iron hormone imbalance in the skin offers hope.

‘This innovative approach could significantly improve quality of life and restore confidence and well-being.’