Abstract
Omega-3 (ω-3) and omega-6 (ω-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are nowadays desirable components of oils with special dietary and functional properties. Their therapeutic and health-promoting effects have already been established in various chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases through various mechanisms, including modifications in cell membrane lipid composition, gene expression, cellular metabolism, and signal transduction. The application of ω-3 and ω-6 PUFAs in most common skin diseases has been examined in numerous studies, but their results and conclusions were mostly opposing and inconclusive. It seems that combined ω-6, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and ω-3 long-chain PUFAs supplementation exhibits the highest potential in diminishing inflammatory processes, which could be beneficial for the management of inflammatory skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and acne. Due to significant population and individually-based genetic variations that impact PUFAs metabolism and associated metabolites, gene expression, and subsequent inflammatory responses, at this point, we could not recommend strict dietary and supplementation strategies for disease prevention and treatment that will be appropriate for all. Well-balanced nutrition and additional anti-inflammatory PUFA-based supplementation should be encouraged in a targeted manner for individuals in need to provide better management of skin diseases but, most importantly, to maintain and improve overall skin health.
Highlights
Since 1929, when Burr and Burr first described a syndrome caused by stringent fat reduction in a diet, it became clear that particular fat pay an essential role in skin structure [1,2]
It seems that combined ω-6, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and ω-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) supplementation exhibits the highest potential in diminishing inflammatory processes, which could be beneficial for the management of inflammatory skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and acne
As humans are naturally used to food on which they evolved, and their genetic patterns were established—it is not surprising that newly established Western diets deficient in ω-3, and rich in ω-6 PUFAs promote the pathogenesis of many chronic inflammatory diseases. ω-3 PUFAs, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are associated with healthy aging and have a role in the prevention and treatment of numerous diseases by exerting their beneficial effects through inhibiting actions of multiple cytokines in disease progression
Summary
Since 1929, when Burr and Burr first described a syndrome caused by stringent fat reduction in a diet (which manifested mostly as cutaneous symptoms, such as erythema with scaling, hair loss, itch, and increased water loss), it became clear that particular fat pay an essential role in skin structure [1,2]. The word “essential” best describes these fats because of the inability of the human organism to synthesize them, which means they can only be provided through dietary intake. Ω-3 and ω-6 FAs have antagonistic effects on metabolic functions in the human organism. PUFAs are nowadays desirable components of “specialty oils”, oils with special dietary, and functional properties that are used as nutraceuticals or cosmeceuticals. Due to the better understanding of their biological and functional properties, and their health benefits, PUFAs, specially ω-3 PUFAs are of great importance for health system, due to their potential applications in disease prevention, and treatment of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis, and acne. Clinicians have at the disposal useful tools like lipidomics and nutrilipomics that guide them to provide the most appropriate and individualized FAs supplementation in the treatment of their patients, and the prevention of disease in various clinical fields, as well as the field of dermatology [5]
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