According to the National Institutes of Health, eczema is also known as dermatitis. Eczema is a condition arising when the skin becomes dry, sensitive and inflamed. The result is redness and intense itching. Skin feels dry and rough to the touch with patches commonly occurring behind the knees, the elbows, around the neck and on the hands. Omega-3s came under scientific scrutiny in relation to eczema because identical symptoms are clinical indicators of an omega-3 deficiency.
Omega-3 and Infant Eczema
Childhood eczema affects one in 10 young children and is on the rise. A report in the January 2009 issue of "Archives of Disease in Childhood" followed 4,921 Swedish infants whose mothers participated in a larger health study. Researchers asked about their infants' diet and signs of eczema at six months and again at 12 months. At age six months, 14 percent had developed eczema, and 20 percent had eczema by age one. The researchers reported that babies who started eating fish before nine months of age were 24 percent less likely to develop eczema by age one.
Omega-3 and Childhood Eczema
Korean researchers reporting in the April 2007 issue of "Lipids" undertook a study to determine if the level of omega-3 fatty acids was higher in the red blood cells of preschoolers with no signs of eczema. They enrolled 308 children aged four- to six-years-old. They found that higher blood levels of omega-3s were associated with a reduced eczema risk. Further, people who never ate fish during childhood were at an increased risk of related conditions. They hypothesized the effect may be due to high levels of omega-3s in the membranes of red blood cells circulating during inflammatory responses.
Omega-3 and Adult Eczema
The April 2008 issue of the "British Journal of Dermatology" reports on a study performed by German researchers. The scientists enrolled 53 eczema patients aged 18 to 40 years in a study to determine the efficacy of omega-3s on treating their disease. Every day, the participants were administered either 5.4 g of the omega-3 fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid or a placebo. After two months, the researchers reported that the omega-3 group showed significant clinical improvement, while the placebo group showed no improvement.
Omega-3 Infusions
Researchers reporting in the May 2002 issue of "Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition" conducted a 10-day placebo-controlled trial involving 22 patients hospitalized for moderate-to-severe dermatitis. Participants were randomly assigned to receive daily infusions of either an omega-3 fatty-acid-based lipid emulsion or a soybean oil emulsion based on omega-6 fatty acids. Both groups improved significantly compared to baseline; however, the omega-3 fatty acid group achieved better results. The researchers concluded that omega-3 infusion is effective in improving the severity of atopic dermatitis.
References
- NIH: NIAMS: Atopic Dermatitis
- "Archives of Disease in Childhood"; Early Introduction of Fish Decreases the Risk of Eczema in Infants; B. Alm et al.; January 2009
- "Lipids"; N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Atopy in Korean Preschoolers; Iou Hwang et al.; April 2007
- "British Journal of Dermatology"; Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation in Atopic Eczema: a Randomized, Double-blind, Controlled Trial; Carl Koch et al.; April 2008
- "Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition"; A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial of N-3 Versus N-6 Fatty Acid-based Lipid Infusion in Atopic Dermatitis; Paul Mayser et al.; May 2002
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