Research Communications Effects of dietary supplementation with sea buckthorn (Hippophae ¨ rhamnoides) seed and pulp oils on atopic dermatitis

A placebo-controlled, double-blind study was conducted to investigate the effects of seed and pulp oils of sea buckthorn (Hipphophaerhamnoides ) on atopic dermatitis. Linoleic (34%),a-linolenic (25%), and oleic (19%) acids were the major fatty acids in the seed oil, whereas palmitic (33%), oleic (26%), and palmitoleic (25%) acids were the major fatty acids in the pulp oil. The study group included 49 atopic dermatitis patients who took 5 g (10 capsules) of seed oil, pulp oil, or paraffin oil daily for 4 months. During follow-up dermatitis improved significantly in the pulp oil (P , 0.01) and paraffin oil (P , 0.001) groups, but improvement in the seed oil group was not significant (P 5 0.11). Supplementation of seed oil increased the proportion ofa-linolenic acid in plasma neutral lipids (P , 0.01), and increases of linoleic, a-linolenic, and eicosapentaenoic acids in plasma phospholipids were close to significant (0.05, P , 0.1). Pulp oil treatment increased the proportion of palmitoleic acid (P , 0.05) and lowered the percentage of pentadecanoic acid ( P , 0.01) in both plasma phospholipids and neutral lipids. In the seed oil group, after 1 month of supplementation, positive correlations were found between symptom improvement and the increase in proportions ofa-linolenic acid in plasma phospholipids (Rs 5 0.84; P 5 0.001) and neutral lipids (Rs5 0.68; P 5 0.02). No changes in the levels of triacylglycerols, serum total, or specific immunoglobulin E were detected. In the pulp oil group, a significant (P , 0.05) increase in the level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol, from 1.38 to 1.53 mmol/L was observed (J. Nutr. Biochem. 10:622- 630, 1999) © Elsevier Science Inc. 1999. All rights reserved. .