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Abstract
Objective: To investigate whether dietary supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the omega 3 series (n‐3 PUFA: 18:3, n‐3; 20:5, n‐3; and 22:6, n‐3), the omega 6 series (n‐6 PUFA: 18:3, n‐6), vitamins and minerals have a clinical effect on atopic dermatitis. Methods: A total of 19 patients aged 17–43 years with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis participated in an open trial of high oral doses of n‐3 and n‐6 PUFA in dry form (powder) or omega 3,6,9 fatty acid capsules, vitamin E tablets (d‐alpha‐tocopherol), zinc solution or tablets, and multivitamin capsules daily for 16 weeks. Results: The mean SCORAD improved in 14 of 17 patients by more than 50% after 8 weeks and 16 weeks of treatment (p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The open nature of this trial and the small number of subjects are major limitations of this study. The possible role of dietary omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in the treatment of atopic dermatitis should be tested more extensively in a double‐blind trial using high doses of antioxidants combined with PUFA.