Dietary supplements for established atopic eczema
Bath-Hextall FJ
Published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Methodology
Cochrane systematic review of randomised controlled trials; searches of the Cochrane Skin Group register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, LILACS, Web of Science and the GREAT database to July 2010 with trial registers to April 2011; duplicate independent screening, extraction and risk-of-bias assessment.
Key Findings
This Cochrane review included 11 randomised trials with 596 participants testing dietary supplements for established atopic eczema, including fish oil, zinc sulphate, selenium, vitamin D, vitamin E, pyridoxine, sea buckthorn oil, hempseed oil, sunflower oil and DHA. Two small fish oil studies suggested a possible modest benefit, but many outcomes were explored and no supplement showed convincing efficacy. The authors conclude there is no convincing evidence of benefit from dietary supplements in eczema, and note that high doses of vitamin D may cause serious medical problems and long-term supplement costs add up.
Conclusions
There is no convincing evidence of the benefit of dietary supplements in eczema, and they cannot be recommended for the public or for clinical practice at present.
Limitations
Most interventions were tested in only a single small trial, outcomes and doses varied widely, and searches ran only to July 2010; evening primrose oil, borage oil and probiotics were covered in separate reviews.
Supplements Studied
It is unclear whether any of these interventions are effective.
Related Health Concerns
Study Details
Access Study
This information is for educational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.