Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. A study of 58 patients with eczema found that 5.4 g of DHA daily for 12 weeks decreased inflammatory protein levels by 67% compared to no changes in placebo.
Eczema is a skin condition that affects 15 million Americans, of which 10-20% infants (1) and costs our healthcare system $316 million per year (2). It is characterized by dry, itching skin due to an increase in an inflammatory protein called IgE (3). Although it sometimes resolves during childhood, it may persist throughout your lifetime. While there is no known cause of eczema, genetics and allergies are thought to play a role (1).
Because eczema is characterized by inflammation and dry skin, treatment options include frequent moisturizing and anti-inflammatory creams, such as corticosteroid creams (1). But now a new study (3) has found that the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 fatty acids may also help skin health and eczema.
In the study, 53 patients aged 18-40 diagnosed with eczema (4) were given either 5.4 grams of DHA per day or placebo for 12 weeks. DHA (docosahexanoic acid), one of the “good fats”, is a highly unsaturated omega-3 essential fatty acid. During the study period, the participants provided feedback through the SCORAD index (9) about their symptoms. Developed in 1993 (5), the SCORAD index uses a point system to determine the severity of eczema (6). The patients also provided blood samples to measure omega-3 blood levels and inflammatory protein levels.
The researchers found that improvement in the SCORAD index in the omega-3 group was 64% higher than the placebo group (18% improvement vs. 11% in placebo group). Inflammatory protein (IgE) levels decreased by 67% by week 8 in the omega-3 group with no changes in the placebo group. Although the study involved a small sample size of patients, the researchers concluded that “dietary DHA may be beneficial in supporting the standard treatment of atopic eczema.”
Source: Koch, C., S. Dölle, M. Metzger, C. Rasche, H. Jungclas, R. Rühl, H. Renz, and M. Worm. “Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in atopic eczema: a randomized, double‐blind, controlled trial.” British Journal of Dermatology 158, no. 4 (2008): 786-792.
© 2008 The Authors
Posted July 17, 2008.
References:
- “What Is Eczema?” posted on the American Academy of Dermatology website.
- Kemp AS. Atopic eczema: Its social and financial costs. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 1999; 35(3): 229-329
- Koch C. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in atopic eczema: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Journal of Dermatology 2008; 158(4):786-792
- Hanifin J, Rajka G. Diagnostic features of atopic dermatitis. Acta Derm Venereol 1980; 92:44–7
- Severity scoring of atopic dermatitis: the SCORAD index. Consensus Report of the European Task Force on Atopic Dermatitis. Dermatology. 1993;186(1):23-31
- “The SCORAD Index” posted on the SCORAD Index website.
