Following the Mediterranean diet and taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements can help reduce inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne lesions and improve quality of life, a new study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology shows.
In the study of 60 individuals with mild to moderate acne, 98.3% of participants had omega-3 fatty acid deficits at the start of the study. Acne severity lessened significantly in those who reached target omega-3 fatty acid levels during the study.
“Lifestyle interventions, including dietary recommendations, should not be considered in opposition to prescription medications, but rather as a valuable adjunct to any modern acne treatment plan,” says study author Anne Guertler, MD, of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, in Germany, in a news release. “Future studies should build on the foundation laid by our current findings in a randomized, placebo-controlled design to improve dietary recommendations for acne patients.”
For the study, participants adhered to a Mediterranean diet, incorporating oral algae-derived ω-3 fatty acid supplementation (600 mg Docosahexaenoic Acid or DHA/300 mg eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA week 1–8, 800 mg DHA/400 mg EPA week 8–16). At four visits, blood EPA/DHA levels were tracked using the HS-omega 3 index (EPA/DHA (%) of total identified fatty acids in erythrocytes; target 8%–11%, deficit <8%, severe deficit <4%), alongside clinical assessments and standardized questionnaires.
At baseline, 98.3% of patients had an EPA/DHA deficit, with the mean HS-omega 3 index rising from 4.9% at Visit 1 to 8.3% at Visit 4. There were objective improvements in both inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions. While self-reported appearance worsened in four patients, overall quality of life improved particularly in folks with acne papulopustulosa.
