Dietary supplements for established atopic eczema.

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Nutritional Science
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Patients with atopic eczema often avoid conventional treatments due to concerns about long-term side effects.
• Many individuals turn to dietary supplements, believing they are deficient in certain nutrients.
• The efficacy of various proposed dietary supplements for atopic eczema remains uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of dietary supplements in treating established atopic eczema (dermatitis).
• This review excludes evening primrose oil, borage oil, and probiotics, which are covered in separate Cochrane reviews.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a comprehensive literature search of multiple databases up to July 2010 and ongoing trials registers up to April 2011.
• Included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating dietary supplements for atopic eczema treatment.
• Two independent reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias.

Main Results:

• Eleven studies involving 596 participants were analyzed.
• Various supplements were examined, including fish oil, zinc, selenium, vitamins D and E, pyridoxine, sea buckthorn, hempseed oil, sunflower oil, and DHA.
• Two small fish oil studies indicated a potential modest benefit, but further large-scale studies with registered protocols are required.

Conclusions:

• Currently, there is no convincing scientific evidence to support the use of dietary supplements for eczema.
• Supplements cannot be recommended for public use or clinical practice at this time.
• Potential risks include adverse effects from high doses (e.g., vitamin D) and the financial cost of long-term use.