Supplementation May Help Those With Frequent Bacterial Skin Infections
In another study, mean serum level of vitamin D in patients with AD was not statistically different from that of control patients. However, the subset of AD patients with low 25D3 had a greater frequency of bacterial skin infections than those with higher levels .
A subset of these patients with very low serum 25 D3 concentrations underwent 3 months of supplementation with 2000 IU of oral cholecalciferol daily. Following supplementation, mean SCORAD were significantly lower and fewer bacterial infections were seen. Overall, marked improvement was seen in 90% of supplemented patients .
Further support for screening those with frequent bacterial skin infections comes from another trial. In this study, 3 weeks of supplementation with 1000 IU/day of vitamin D resulted in increased expression of cathelicidin, an antimicrobial peptide .
A Deeper Look Into Vitamin B For Eczema
B3 is necessary for hormone production, detoxification and helping the body process carbohydrates to produce energy and form fat. While forming fat might not sound like a great idea, were not talking about weight or weight gain. Were talking about good fat the kind that is combined with dead skin cells and oils to form the protective layer of the skin. Without it, the skin loses its natural moisture which, in turn, can lead to skin problems. If you also have problems with insomnia, weakness, mental confusion or aggression, B3 may also help your eczema.
B5, which, like B3, also helps convert carbohydrates to energy and fat, helps the body form healthy red blood cells and antibodies, and helps it make hormones. It may also help detoxify the body. If your skin condition is accompanied by stomach discomfort, headaches, fatigue or difficulty sleeping, you may be deficient in vitamin B5.
B6 helps process amino acids the building blocks of all proteins and some hormones. If you find youre not as sharp as youd like to be or your mood is not very pleasant, you could have a B6 deficiency.
B7, in addition to many other functions, helps the body produce new cells, maintains proper function of oil glands, and helps control glucose levels. If your blood sugar tends to run high, your eczema might be connected to B7 deficiency.
Serum Levels Of Vitamin D And Correlation With Subgroups Of Ad Patients
Researchers have also examined serum levels of vitamin D in particular subgroups of AD patients.
In one study, children were grouped into those with allergic sensitization to foods or common aeroallergens and those lacking allergic sensitization. In the group with allergic sensitization, lower serum vitamin D levels were associated with higher SCORAD scores, while no correlation existed for the other group . In another study, when looking at a subset of AD patients with food sensitization, mean serum levels of vitamin D were significantly higher in patients with mild disease as compared to those with moderate or severe AD .
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But How Much Vitamin D Should You Take
Although many studies have shown that vitamin D can be beneficial in the treatment of eczema, another question might be: how much vitamin D does one need to heal safely and effectively?
Prior to supplementing vitamin D, its important to note that in summer conditions or hot weather, its possible to generate close to 20,000 units of vitamin D just from exposure to the sun. However, during the winter months, its difficult to generate anything close to that amount let alone the recommended dosage.
How Vitamin E Acts On Eczema
- IgE is an allergy marker in our body called immunoglobin. An allergic reaction can flare up eczema on your skin. Vitamin E helps to decrease the allergy marker in our body and improves immunity. Using vitamin E will protect your skin from those factors.
- Taking a high intake of vitamin E improves symptoms of eczema.
- Vitamin E restricts leukotriene in the body and is anti-inflammatory. It works by prohibiting the growth of leukotrienes in the body, which are the source of eczema flare-ups. It also releases anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.
- Vitamin E guards the oils in the skin produces for itself. Being a fat-soluble vitamin, it prevents the skin from free radical damage.
Soybeans, chickpeas, cabbage, sweet potato, tuna, lettuce are all rich in vitamin E. Make it a part of your diet and notice the change in your eczema.
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Collagen And Hyaluronic Acid Supplements For Eczema
Collagen and hyaluronic acid occur naturally in the skin . They help to build the framework that our skin sits on, keeping it plump, and in particular in the case of hyaluronic acid, keeps the skin hydrated.
Lower levels of collagen and hyaluronic acid naturally means less healthy skin, so taking them in the form of supplements or using skincare products containing them may help to support eczema prone skin.
These types of products and supplements help to rebuild damaged skin cells and in turn help to support the structure of the skin better. They can also help to prevent the dry, rough skin that is so common in eczema sufferers, especially in the winter when the weather can ravage the skin so much more.
Collagen also helps the skin to repair quicker, so if your eczema causes broken skin that can become sore and infected, a collagen supplement could benefit you.
Take Probiotics For Healthy Digestion
The health of the digestive tract can have an effect on eczema sufferers by supporting your immune system. The development of a healthy immune system depends on having a diverse range of bacteria in the gut from birth and specific strains of probiotics have been found particularly helpful for building a strong immune system, these include Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus species.
Pregnant women with eczema in the family might be interested in the Swansea baby trial, which found that when a probiotic blend was given to mothers during pregnancy and again to the babies after birth there was a 57 percent reduction in the development of eczema and 44 percent reduction in allergies.
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Positive Relationship Between Vitamin E And Skin Health
Several studies have reported a lower prevalence of AD in young children with higher antioxidant nutritional intakes. Based on the data of 180 AD and 242 non-AD children between 4 and 6 years old, Oh et al. observed a lower likelihood of AD in children who consumed more dietary vitamin E, which led to higher serum -TP levels. A similar observation was made by Okuda et al. in 396 Japanese students aged between 10 and 13 years. Questionnaires and serum antioxidant analysis revealed a significant negative association between serum -TP levels and the prevalence of AD. In another study, Lee et al. investigated the relationship between -TP and serum IgE levels in Korean children aged between 0 and 24 months who were diagnosed with AD. The findings showed a strong negative association between serum -TP and IgE levels, suggesting the importance of maintaining a high serum -TP in children diagnosed with AD. However, the study was limited to the sample size as the researchers were only able to measure serum vitamin E levels in 25 out of 119 children. This was due to the difficulty in drawing sufficient amounts of blood from children < 24 months old.
Table 3.
A summary of the clinical studies showing a positive relationship between vitamin E and skin health
Risks Of Vitamin E Supplementation
Vitamin E may provide a variety of health benefits, but there are certain risks to consider.
Animal models and human studies have shown that high dosages of vitamin E can cause bleeding and disrupt blood clotting. These effects may increase a personâs likelihood of developing certain bleeding disorders.
For example, in a 10-year study involving nearly 15,000 adult males, vitamin E supplementation â with 180 mg of synthetic vitamin E every other day â increased the risk of hemorrhagic stroke by
1,000 mg of vitamin E per day for most adults to avoid adverse health risks.
Upper limits are lower for children, ranging from 200 mg daily for children aged 1â3 years to 800 mg for those aged 14â18 years.
High doses of vitamin E, such as those in supplements, may also interfere with certain medications, including:
- anticoagulants and antiplatelet medications
- certain medications for treating high cholesterol
- chemotherapeutics and radiation therapy
Before taking vitamin E supplements, people using these medications should talk with a healthcare professional to determine a safe dosage of vitamin E that will not affect how well their other treatments work.
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Treat Skin The Right Way
Hundreds of creams and topical solutions treat dry skin. However, creams treat the condition from the outside. Can vitamins treat dry skin from the inside? Making sure the body has the vitamins needed is a start. Pharmacists or doctors can recommend the most potent of the vitamins mentioned.
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Can Eczema Be Treated With B Vitamins
Katya Sobol
Millions of people around the world have eczema. In fact, its spreading at near epidemic proportions. Unfortunately, most eczema sufferers never find a cure: The skin care products they try either dont work at all or work only for a short time. A treatment that works today might be useless in just a few weeks or months. The same is true of medications once the medication is stopped, the condition returns. Thousands of doctors now recommend a shielding lotion as eczema treatment, but you may also have underlying nutritional deficiencies contributing to the problem. Find out what they are, and what you can do about them.
One of the primary nutritional factors behind eczema is vitamin B deficiency. The usual suspects are B3 , B5 , B6 , PABA B7 .
Eczema sufferers might benefit from taking a variety of vitamin Bs such as B3 for producing fat to help form the protective layer of the skin, B5 to form antibodies and healthy red blood cells, B6 to help with the processing of amino acids and B7 to help with cell reproduction and the functioning of our oil glands.
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Is Vitamin E Good For Eczema
Studies have shown that Vitamin E could help to improve the symptoms and quality of life of people with atopic dermatitis a kind of eczema.
Vitamin E is a popular supplement because it helps to support a lot of different functions in your body, including the maintenance of healthy skin.
It helps to strengthen your immune system by working as an antioxidant meaning that it helps to protect your cells from damage.
These properties could have obvious benefits for eczema sufferers, helping to support your skin from the inside out while keeping your immune system strong enough to deal with irritants.
Naturally, this isnt going to be a miracle cure for dry skin conditions, but it cant hurt to give your skin a bit of a helping hand.
Negligible Relationship Between Vitamin E And Skin Health
Three prospective studies suggested a negligible relationship between vitamin E and skin health. Miyake et al. studied the diet history questionnaire of 763 Japanese mother-child pairs and assessed the relationship between dietary antioxidant intake and symptoms of wheeze and AD. Analysis of the data revealed a significant inverse relationship between maternal vitamin E consumption during pregnancy and wheezing, but not AD. On the other hand, higher maternal intake of green and yellow vegetables, citrus fruits and -carotene during pregnancy seemed to confer a reduced risk of AD in the infant.
This observation was also supported by Nwaru et al. in their study using data from the Finnish population-based birth cohort nutritional study with a 5-year follow-up. The researchers proposed no significant association between maternal intake of antioxidants and the risk of atopic diseases such as AD, except for the dietary intake of magnesium, which had an independent association with protection against AD in children.
Table 4.
A summary of the studies showing a negligible relationship between vitamin E and skin health
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Why The Type Of Eczema You Have Matters
There are two distinct ways in which supplements could be used to counteract eczema.
First, supplements could target skin inflammation or edema, which are the intermediate causes for all types of eczema. This would work for every type of eczema, though it wouldnt necessarily be the best option.
Second, supplements might be able to address the root causes of eczema. This depends on the type of eczema thoughit is most likely to be effective for atopic dermatitis, followed by allergic contact dermatitis. Supplements are less likely to be effective for stasis dermatitis, and cant really address the root cause of irritant contact dermatitis.
Potential Risks Of Vitamin D Supplementation
Depending on a persons age, the daily recommended amount of vitamin D is between 400 and 800 IU. Vitamin D can be harmful in large doses, causing nausea, constipation, and other issues such as kidney damage. Do not take extra vitamin D unless you are instructed to by your doctor.
Vitamin D can also interact with some medications, such as certain steroids or heart medications.
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Is It Ok To Take Vitamin D Everyday
Current guidelines say adults shouldnt take more than the equivalent of 100 micrograms a day. But vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, so your body can store it for months and you dont need it every day. That means you could equally safely take a supplement of 20 micrograms a day or 500 micrograms once a month.
Would Eating Gluten
For some people, celiac disease and eczema seem to go hand-in-hand. This may be due to the genetic link that both disorders have. Celiac disease is treated by removing gluten from the diet. If you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity in addition to eczema, you may see a real improvement in your skin if you eliminate gluten.
Gluten-free food has become very popular, and many foods are now labeled as gluten-free. Most wheat, rye, and barley products also have gluten-free substitutes you can buy. A little imagination goes a long way here. For example, you can use potato flakes instead of bread crumbs to coat chicken cutlets, and almond flour instead of wheat flour for baking.
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What Is Vitamin C
Vitamin C is also known as L-ascorbic acid. It is a water-soluble vitamin, which means that it can easily dissolve in water.
The human body cannot manufacture or store vitamin C which is why we need to get it from food sources or supplements. It is then carried throughout your body into the tissues. This means that your body takes what it needs and flushes out the rest.
This is why its recommended to take vitamin c throughout the day in smaller doses rather than one big dose per day. Since its not stored in the body, water-soluble vitamins need to be replenished throughout the day.
Vitamin C is required to make collagen , involved in protein metabolism, is an antioxidant, and plays a crucial role in immune health.
So how does vitamin C help in the context of eczema and topical steroid withdrawal?
Three Vitamin D Success Stories
Ive bumped up my daily intake of vitamin D3 to 5000 I.U. This is the first time in over a decade that I havent had an eczema flare-up at this time of year. I would highly recommend that Advocate readers do an Internet search with the key words vitamin D and eczema. There are thousands of articles attesting to its potential as a preventive and treatment when used responsibly at the proper potency.
Larry V.
Since my recent diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency and subsequent therapy with supplements, my eczema flares have disappeared and my rash is clearing! My diagnosis was made in March and coincided with your article Vitamin D: Hype or Healer? by Peter A. Lio, MD, published in the first quarter 2011 issue of The Advocate, I was skeptical! But now, with vitamin D supplements of 4000 per day and my health improving, I have hope for the first time in my life. I feel better now than I have felt in over 30 years. I am 69 years old and have had eczema my whole life. I live in a sunny climate, in Texas, and have had a lifetime of exposure to the sun. Thanks for continuing to inform for the sake of people like me, who have suffered all their life with this disease.
Barbara B.
Wanda L.
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Vitamins And Supplements For Eczema
Many alternative and complementary treatments such as vitamins and dietary supplements may benefit children and adults with eczema . Eczema is a skin condition that can cause itchy, dry skin that may ooze or weep, likely due to an overactive immune system and decreased skin barrier function. Eczema is more common in infants and children, who may grow out of the symptoms, although eczema also occurs in adults.
If you or your child has eczema, it may help to understand the potential effectiveness of certain vitamins and supplements such as probiotics and fish oil for your skins health. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved vitamins, probiotics, and fish oil as safe for general consumption. Still, these treatments should not necessarily replace the medical treatments or other therapies recommended by your doctor. Research is limited and studies have mixed findings making it especially important to speak with your health care provider before adding vitamins or supplements to your diet.
Heres what to know about the potential benefits and risks of vitamins and supplements for eczema.