Skin Tip #2 - Fish Oil Capsules Help Your Skin With the Sun
August - 2002

The Story
Swallowing fish oil capsules daily for three months can allow you to stay in the sun longer before you sunburn. Your skin also produces less of the inflammatory chemical, PGE2, when exposed to sunburning ultraviolet rays if you have taken fish oil capsules. Those unfortunate people who suffer “sun poisoning” (also known as Polymorphous light eruption) tolerate the sun better if they take fish oil capsules regularly.

The Studies
A study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology in 1995 looked at the effect of dietary fish oil on three things:
1. The amount of ultraviolet light needed to cause redness or sunburn in the skin. This measurement is called the Minimal Erythema Dose (MED).
2. The amount of a chemical made by the body as part of inflammation (PGE2) after ultraviolet light exposure.
3. The degree of severity of a condition called Polymorphous light eruption or “sun poisoning”.

The amount of ultraviolet light required to produce a sunburn nearly doubled after the subjects had been on five MaxEPA fish oil capsules twice daily (10 grams of fish oil) for three months.

The researchers used a suction device to raise blisters on the skin.
They measured the amount of PGE2 in the blister fluid. PGE2 is made by the body as part of inflammation and is higher after sunburn. Sure enough, the amount of PGE2 in the blister fluid nearly tripled after exposure to ultraviolet light (4MEDs). After three months of five MaxEPA fish oil capsules twice daily (10 grams of fish oil), the blister fluid contained 1/3 the amount of PGE2 both before and after ultraviolet light exposure. This suggests that inflammation in the skin was decreased overall.

The researchers measured the amount of ultraviolet light required to trigger the rash in thirteen patients with “sun poisoning” or Polymorphous light eruption. Typically, these people cannot stay in the sun for more than a few minutes without getting a bumpy, itchy rash and the initial test confirmed this. When they repeated the test after the patients had taken five MaxEPA fish oil capsules twice daily (10 grams of fish oil) for three months, all but one showed improvement and seven of thirteen had no rash at all!

Conclusion: Fish oil capsule supplementation at this rather high level for at least three months improves the ability of the skin to tolerate ultraviolet/sun exposure. We see less sunburning, less inflammation and less “sun poisoning” (Polymorphous light eruption) in susceptible individuals.*

The Implications
People who have had sunburns are more likely to develop Malignant melanoma, a serious skin cancer. Sun exposure accumulated over the years increases our risk of less serious, more common kinds of skin cancer, such as Basal cell carcinoma and Squamous cell carcinoma. The skin wrinkles more quickly and more deeply when exposed to the sun. We cannot prove it yet, but we can reasonably speculate that if dietary fish oil supplementation decreases your risk of sunburn, it may also protect you from skin cancer and premature aging of the skin by the sun. The decrease in inflammation is likely to be very important in slowing the aging of the skin. And we doctors have little to offer those poor souls with Polymorphous light eruption. This approach may be a boon for many sufferers!

Warning:
While none of the subjects in the study experienced problems or side effects, not all people can tolerate this quantity of fish oil. Some people may have increased bruising. Some may suffer indigestion. Low quality fish oil may be hazardous to your health and be clear that this is NOT cod liver oil, but fish body oil. Those who take fish oil supplements should be sure that the fish oil is high quality and fresh. They should also take a vitamin E supplement of 80-100 IU d-alpha-tocopherol or similar product if it is not included in the fish oil capsule. You should certainly discuss the decision to take supplements with your physician before making changes, especially if you are on any prescription medication.

Please Note:
*Hats, clothing and sunblock offer much, much more protection against the sun than dietary fish oil. However, the effect of the fish oil will not wear off in the pool or in sweat. It is a constant, effortless, low-level protection. Moreover, many people with Polymorphous light eruption are not helped by sunblock. Take advantage of all approaches.

References:

Rhodes et al, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 105:532, 1995