Form of Eczema Thwarted by Vitamins and Minerals
Lee Swanson Research Update
Children with the highest average intakes of the four nutrients were found to have significantly lower risks of AD than children with the lowest average intakes.
Researchers from Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea, used data on both intakes of vitamins and minerals, and on corresponding biomarkers, in relation to AD. It was the first time such an approach had been used.
Atopic dermatitis, characterized by areas of severe itching, redness and scaling, is one of the first signs of allergy during the early days of life and is said to be due to delayed development of the immune system.
The scientists recruited 180 five-year-olds with AD and 242 five-year-olds without AD and assessed their diets using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Blood samples were also taken after a period of fasting to determine levels of fat-soluble vitamins, like retinol, alpha-tocopherol (a form of vitamin E), beta-carotene and vitamin C.
Results showed that the risk of AD was 56% lower in children with the highest average intakes of beta-carotene, compared to the lowest average intakes.
Moreover, dietary vitamin E, folic acid and iron were associated with 67, 63 and 61% reductions in AD risk respectively, added the researchers.
The dietary intake data was also matched by data from the blood samples, with the highest average levels of alpha-tocopherol associated with a 36% lower risk of AD, while retinol was associated with a 26% lower risk.
"These findings suggest that higher antioxidant nutritional status reduces the risk of AD and that such risk-reduction effects depend on nutrient type," wrote the researchers.
"Antioxidant nutrients have been proposed to counteract oxidative stress and inhibit the inflammatory response and are known to be possibly associated with the ability of the individual to restrain the inflammatory response and allergic diseases," they added.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Published online ahead of print.
Feb. 2010
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