Anti-allergy actions of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid

Abstract

Recently, the dramatic increase in expression of allergic disease, which include hey fever, asthma or atopic dermatitis has been social problem. It is well known that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, possess anti-inflammatory actions and immunomodulatory activities. Here, we examined the clinical effect of a beverage containing fish oil rich in EPA and DHA on atopic dermatitis. The test beverage was taken by 21 patients with atopic dermatitis, in the volume of 200 ml (containing 1260 mg of EPA and 540 mg of DHA) once per a day for 12 weeks. Except for 3 patients who dropped out, the skin symptoms of 13 patients in 18 patients tended to improve, and overall improvement showed the following scores: marked improvement 5.6%; moderate improvement 38.9%; slight improvement 27.8%; unchanged 16.6%; aggravation 11.1%. These results suggest that the beverage containing EPA and DHA may be useful as an alimentary therapy for atopic dermatitis.