But don’t expect miracles
There is no special diet that helps against eczema. Still, drinking kefir, a fermented milk drink, may help. A small study in Spain, Portugal and Brazil found beneficial effects in adults with eczema.
About 400,000 Dutch people have chronic eczema, also known as atopic eczema or constitutional eczema. It usually starts in childhood. Redness, flakes, bumps, fissures or scabs often occur and this is usually accompanied by a lot of itching. This chronic skin condition has an unpredictable course, in which only ointments or hormone cream can provide relief. It is logical that people with eczema also look for something else that helps. The researchers in Southern Europe and South America also thought so. They have investigated the effect of kefir on eczema. To the research 19 people with atopic eczema who were between 19 and 56 years old participated. They were compared with a control group of 33 people between 20 and 60 years without eczema.
Why kefir?
Kefir is a milk drink, originally from Caucasus. It is made by adding yeast and lactic acid bacteria to milk in the form of kefir grains or powder. Then the milk has to mature and ferment; this is also called fermentation. This produces lactic acid, carbon dioxide and a very small amount of alcohol (about 0.05 percent). Kefir has a sour taste, just like buttermilk, but also a tingling sensation in the mouth due to the carbon dioxide and alcohol. The longer the milk matures and ferments, the more sour the drink becomes. Usually the milk is matured and fermented for 24 hours.
The connection between skin and gut
Kefir is a fermented product containing live bacteria. These bacteria could have a beneficial effect on health and are also called probiotics. Other examples of fermented products are buttermilk, yogurt, cottage cheese, sauerkraut, salami, tempeh and kimchi. The beneficial bacteria from fermented products end up in your gut. They help to maintain a good balance between healthy and unhealthy bacteria in the gut microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome is good for the immune system and, according to the researchers, would also be beneficial for the skin.
fresh kefir
Half of the participants in the study, both with and without eczema, drank 100 ml of kefir daily for eight weeks, which they received fresh from the researchers three times a week. The other half of the participants did not change their dietary habits. So there were four groups in the study: participants with eczema who received kefir, participants with eczema who received nothing, participants without eczema who received kefir, and participants without eczema who received nothing. Before the start of the study and afterwards, the skin of the participants from all four groups was examined. Beneficial effects were found in the kefir drinkers, especially in participants with eczema who drank kefir. Prior to the study, these participants had, on average, severe eczema. After the eight weeks of kefir, the severity had decreased to mild eczema. So there was a significant improvement. The fluid balance in the kefir group also improved, both in participants with and without eczema. The researchers conclude that people with eczema may benefit from kefir.
Tempering expectations
Before everyone with eczema immediately starts drinking kefir, it is good to temper expectations. A well-known saying in scientific research is: one study is no study. In other words: one swallow does not make a summer. For real scientific support, it is not enough for one research group to find favorable results. This study should therefore first be repeated by other researchers and with more participants. It would also be good if the participants in the control group were given a placebo. Now the control group got nothing, while the kefir group went to the research center three times a week to collect kefir. Just the idea that kefir could help may have had an effect. By also giving the control group something (unworkable) you exclude these kinds of effects. In short: more extensive research needs to be done first to confirm the found effects of kefir. In the meantime, it is fine to take kefir and other fermented products, because they fit perfectly in a healthy, varied diet. But don’t expect miracles from eczema right away.
Make your own kefir
Kefir is easy to make yourself and very fun to do once. Kefir grains and powder can be bought online, for example at kefir.nl. By the way, there is also water kefir. This drink is made with water instead of milk.
Sources):
