Diet and Seborrheic Dermatitis: Does Diet Impact the Condition?

Western Diets and Low Fruit Intake Promote Seborrheic Dermatitis

In 2019, Sanders and colleagues set out to address whether specific dietary protocols impact the risk for seborrheic dermatitis. The authors studied 4,379 participants of whom 636 (14.5%) had seborrheic dermatitis. Diets of study subjects were scored into various patterns including vegetable, Western diet, fat-rich and fruit dietary patterns.

Interestingly, a fruit pattern was associated with a 25% lower risk (quartile 1 vs. quartile 4: adjusted odds ratio = 0.76, 95% confidence interval = 0.58-0.97, P = 0.03), and the Western diet pattern with a 47% increased risk (quartile 1 vs. quartile 4: adjusted odds ratio = 1.47; 95% confidence interval = 0.98-2.20, P = 0.03), but only for females.

The conclusion of the study was that a high fruit intake was associated with less seborrheic dermatitis, and a high adherence to a "Western" dietary pattern in females was associated with more seborrheic dermatitis.

REFERENCE

Sanders et al. Association between Diet and Seborrheic Dermatitis: A Cross-Sectional Study. J Invest Dermatol 2019 Jan;139(1):108-114.