Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) affects 20% of children, with persistent itching and repeated scratching that may interfere with daily activity and impair quality of life. Given the chronicity of the disease and its significant impact on quality of life, many parents and patients are interested in identifying alternative and “natural” therapies for the prevention and treatment of AD, such as nutritional supplements and dietary modifications. This article provides a narrative overview of dietary and nutritional interventions for the prevention and treatment of AD. Methods: Using PubMed Clinical Queries with the filter “Therapy,” scope “Broad,” and the keywords “atopic eczema” and “atopic dermatitis,” the following dietary and nutritional interventions from recent meta-analyses and randomized clinical trials in the prevention and treatment of AD in children were reviewed up to May 2025: empirical maternal antigen avoidance, elimination diet in infants, hydrolyzed milk formula, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), omega-3, vitamin D, vitamin E, and probiotics. Results: There is evidence that patients with AD have lower serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels, but maternal vitamin D supplementation does not decrease the risk of AD in offspring. For treatment, there is some evidence suggesting that vitamin D can decrease disease severity. There is no strong evidence supporting the use of GLA, omega-3, vitamin E, or other micronutrient supplementation for the prevention or treatment of AD. Evidence regarding the use of probiotics is limited by methodological issues in meta-analyses attempting to pool studies that use different strains and species. Discussion: Given the chronic nature of the disease and its significant impact on quality of life, many patients and parents are interested in alternative and “natural” therapies for AD, such as nutritional supplements and dietary modifications. There is substantial interest in primary prevention of AD, particularly through maternal and perinatal nutritional interventions. Some probiotics show a modest reduction in AD incidence, and formulations containing multiple bacterial strains appear to be more effective. The use of blood-specific IgE or skin prick tests to guide dietary exclusions with the goal of improving disease severity or control remains controversial, with very limited evidence of benefit. Conclusion: Many patients and parents are interested in alternative therapies such as nutritional supplements and dietary modifications due to the chronic, non-curable nature of AD and its associated quality-of-life impairment. There is also considerable interest in primary prevention through maternal and perinatal nutritional interventions, although strong evidence of efficacy is lacking. Some probiotics demonstrate beneficial effects with modest reductions in the rate of AD.
Ngai et al. (2026) studied this question.