Atopic dermatitis and natural remedies: clinical efficacy of probiotics, vitamins, and supplements
Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as eczema, is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes intense itching, dryness, and redness.
In recent years, the number of people affected by this condition has increased significantly, prompting many patients to seek alternative solutions to traditional corticosteroids or expensive biologic drugs.
This has led to growing interest in oral supplements, probiotics, and natural remedies.
What is atopic dermatitis?
Atopic dermatitis is a skin disease that manifests with acute and chronic phases. In the acute phase, wet and itchy lesions appear, while over the long term, skin thickening and fibrosis are observed.
The most common form, extrinsic AD, is associated with elevated levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), a typical marker of allergic reactions.
Alteration of the skin barrier plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AD. Mutations in the gene that encodes filaggrin, a protein essential for epidermal protection, compromise skin integrity, making it more vulnerable to environmental allergens.
Why are more people turning to supplements?
Many patients express dissatisfaction with conventional treatments, especially due to the side effects of corticosteroids and the prohibitive costs of biologic drugs.
As a result, they turn to “natural” solutions such as probiotics, vitamins, and herbal supplements. But do they really work?
Probiotics: the most promising
According to a systematic review of 18 clinical studies conducted between 1993 and 2023, probiotics are among the most promising supplements. Strains such as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Ligilactobacillus salivarius, and Lactobacillus acidophilus have shown significant reductions in clinical scores of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD and DLQI) compared to placebo.
In particular, the use of L. salivarius for 16 weeks led to improvements that persisted even four weeks after stopping treatment.
Nevertheless, the small sample sizes and short duration of the studies require caution. More research is needed to determine the most effective strains, ideal dosages, and optimal duration of administration.
Vitamin D and E: marginal benefits
Three clinical studies have evaluated the effect of vitamin D3 alone or combined with vitamin E. Results showed symptom improvements from baseline, but no statistically significant differences compared to placebo groups.
Only when both vitamins were administered together for 60 days was a more marked reduction in the use of topical corticosteroids observed (up to 88%).
However, the lack of large-scale studies limits conclusions. Current evidence suggests that vitamin D and vitamin E may have a supportive role, but they do not replace standard treatments.
Herbal supplements: some interesting results
Products such as Zemaphyte, a blend of herbs from traditional Chinese medicine, and kefir, a fermented beverage rich in probiotics, have shown improvements in clinical scores for AD patients.
In particular, Zemaphyte improved scores related to erythema and surface skin damage in studies lasting up to 12 months.
Likewise, kefir consumption for 8 weeks significantly reduced symptoms compared to the control group. These results are encouraging but require confirmation through larger, controlled studies.
Single-ingredient supplements: limited effectiveness
Other supplements such as hemp oil (rich in omega-3 and omega-6) and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) have shown less convincing results. In general, the observed effects were limited and often not statistically significant compared to placebo.
For example, hemp oil improved itching and dryness but did not result in clinically relevant improvements compared to olive oil. Similarly, GLA reduced itching and inflammation, but without significant differences between the groups.
What does the science say?
Current data suggest that probiotics are the most promising natural supplement for treating atopic dermatitis.
However, there is still no definitive evidence to recommend their systematic use. Vitamin and herbal supplements may have beneficial effects in some individuals, but the evidence remains weak and inconsistent.
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