Vitamin D supplements have been shown to significantly reduce the symptoms of winter-related atopic dermatitis — a type of eczema that leaves skin dry and itchy.
The study, involving more than 100 schoolchildren, found that daily doses of the vitamin eases symptoms of the disorder, most commonly seen in children. The skin condition typically worsens during wintertime and makes patients more vulnerable to bacterial infection, noted Massachusetts General Hospital researchers who conducted the study.
"While we don't know the exact proportion of patients with atopic dermatitis whose symptoms worsen in the winter, the problem is common," said Carlos Camargo, M.D., who helped conduct the study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
"In this large group of patients, who probably had low levels of vitamin D, taking daily vitamin D supplements – which are inexpensive, safe and widely available – proved to be quite helpful."
For the study, researchers tracked 107 children, ages 2 to 17, from nine outpatient clinics who had a history of atopic dermatitis symptoms worsening either during cold weather. The participants were divided into two groups — one of which received a daily vitamin D dose of 1,000 IU while the other received a placebo.
After one month, children receiving the vitamin D supplement had an average 29 percent improvement in their symptoms, compared with 16 percent in the placebo group.
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