Posted on 11/04/2023 9:00:59 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
A meta-analysis has found a possible role for nutraceutical supplements in treating acne, one that will require better research practices to reveal their effectiveness.
In a paper, the team reviews 42 articles encompassing various nutraceutical effects on acne. The collective meta-analysis included 3,346 participants across diverse methods and treatments tested.
Zinc was the most studied nutraceutical, with approximately half of the studies showing efficacy, especially at higher doses. Zinc also had the highest rate of adverse effects, primarily gastrointestinal.
Vitamins A and B5 showed some effectiveness. The vitamin dosages in the studies analyzed were often well above daily recommended use, suggesting they may not be sustainable without running into toxicity issues.
Vitamin D reduced inflammation, but not the number of lesions, when used on vitamin D-deficient subjects in a single study. Vitamin D was dosed similarly to the recommended daily allowance in its clinical trial, making it the one item studied with an existing recommendation.
Various probiotics demonstrated improvements in small sample studies. The researchers suggest these may be the result of publication bias, given the large number of probiotics available on the market.
Green tea extract showed some effectiveness on the nose and chin in one study, though it was overall not significant in reducing acne.
Cheongsangbangpoong-tang is an herbal therapeutic formula approved by the Korean Food and Drug Administration for clinical use in patients with acne. A single trial is reported to have reduced inflammation but not in reducing the number of lesions.
The small number of studies on each nutraceutical revealed a potential for publication bias, and there may have been other trials with negative findings that were never published.
The findings suggest a possible role for nutraceutical supplements in treating acne based on previous studies, yet also finds that the previous studies lack rigor.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Still, the list is helpful and I’d make sure my kids had the basics in place.
Further study (funding) is needed.
Because SCIENCE™!
That sounds like the name of a honeypot spy in the Biden White House.
Cheongsangbangpoong-tang
*That* sounds like the name of a honeypot spy in the Biden White House.
The thing that ended my acne problem was an antibiotic.
I take 3mg of Boron everyday and it seems to help.
Lucky you. For those of us with heavy duty cystic acne the only thing that worked, and worked well, was Accutane.
There is tetracycline which my dentist used for gum disease. I got a two for one treatment.
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