A study found that vitamin D supplementation helped alleviate winter-related atopic dermatitis (AD) in children. AD is an inflammatory skin disorder characterized by dry, scaly, and itchy skin. Published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the study divided 104 children with winter-related AD into two groups: one group supplemented with 1,000 IU of oral vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) daily for 4 weeks, while the other received a placebo. Here’s what the researchers discovered:

• Compared with the placebo group, children taking vitamin D had clinically and statistically significant improvements on the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), an index used to measure AD symptoms.
• Parental assessments of AD symptoms in the children receiving vitamin D also improved.
• There were no adverse side effects associated with the vitamin D supplementation.

The study did have a few limitations; researchers were unable to measure the children’s starting levels of vitamin D, and only six children had severe AD. Nevertheless, the findings are consistent with another small randomized, controlled trial investigating vitamin D and winter-related AD in children, as well as with the known skin-protective functions of vitamin D.

Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology