Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Volume 71, Issue 6, December 2014, Pages 1039.e1–1039.e12

Continuing medical education

Diet in dermatology : Part I. Atopic dermatitis, acne, and nonmelanoma skin cancer

• Tara Bronsnick, MD^, , 
• Era Caterina Murzaku, BS, 
• Babar K. Rao, MD

 Show more

doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2014.06.015

Get rights and content

Referred to by

• Correction

• Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Volume 73, Issue 2, August 2015,Page 353
• •  PDF (37 K)

• CME examination

• Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Volume 71, Issue 6, December 2014,Page 1051
• •  Purchase PDF (27 K)

---

Patients commonly inquire about dietary modifications as a means to prevent or manage skin disease. Answering these questions is often challenging, given the vast and conflicting evidence that exists on this topic. This 2-part continuing medical education article summarizes the evidence to date to enable physicians to answer patients' questions in an evidence-based manner. Part I includes atopic dermatitis, acne, and nonmelanoma skin cancer. The role of dietary supplementation, dietary exclusion, food allergy, maternal diet, and breastfeeding in the development and/or prevention of atopic dermatitis is summarized. The dermatoendocrinologic mechanism for the effects of glycemic index/glycemic load and milk on acne is described, as well as related clinical evidence for dietary modifications. Finally, evidence and recommendations for restriction or supplementation of dietary factors in the prevention of nonmelanoma skin cancer, including fat, vitamins A, C, D, and E, and selenium, are reported.

Key words

• acne; 
• atopic dermatitis; 
• basal cell carcinoma; 
• diet; 
• nonmelanoma skin cancer; 
• nutrition;
• squamous cell carcinoma

Abbreviations used

• AD, atopic dermatitis; 
• AK, actinic keratosis; 
• BCC, basal cell carcinoma; 
• BO, borage oil;
• EPO, evening primrose oil; 
• GI, glycemic index; 
• GL, glycemic load; 
• NMSC,nonmelanoma skin cancer; 
• RCT, randomized controlled trial; 
• SCC, squamous cell carcinoma; 
• UV, ultraviolet

Funding sources: None.

Conflicts of interest: None declared.

Correspondence to: Tara Bronsnick, MD, Department of Dermatology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, 1 World's Fair Dr, Ste 2400, Somerset, NJ 08873.

Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.