ArticleLipids in health and disease2012
Effects of fish oil supplementation on inflammatory acne.
Article in Lipids in health and disease, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring clinical and genetic evidence in association between unsaturated fatty acids and acne.European journal of nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Lipid Metabolism, Body Composition, and Diet in Acne Vulgaris: A Narrative Review.Metabolites · 2026Review
- Exposome involvement in the development of acne vulgaris.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Post-COVID-19 Syndrome-associated Risk Factors for Acne Exacerbation.Current medicinal chemistry · 2026Article
- Specialized Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediators and Dietary Omega-3/6 Fatty Acids in Selected Inflammatory Skin Diseases: A Systematic Review.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Exploring the potential of omega-3 fatty acids in acne patients: A prospective intervention study.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2024Article
- Oily fish reduces the risk of acne by lowering fasting insulin levels: A Mendelian randomization study.Food science & nutrition · 2024Article
- Deficit of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Acne Patients-A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study in a German Cohort.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Article
- Potential Cosmetic Active Ingredients Derived from Marine By-Products.Marine drugs · 2022Review
- Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome by Palmitic Acid in Human Sebocytes.Annals of dermatology · 2021Article
- Omega-3 Versus Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Prevention and Treatment of Inflammatory Skin Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Review
- A review of diagnosis and treatment of acne in adult female patients.International journal of women's dermatology · 2018Review
- Linking diet to acne metabolomics, inflammation, and comedogenesis: an update.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2015Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGiven that acne is a rare condition in societies with higher consumption of omega-3 (n-3) relative to omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids, supplementation with n-3 may suppress inflammatory cytokine production and thereby reduce acne severity.
methods13 individuals with inflammatory acne were given three grams of fish oil containing 930 mg of EPA to their unchanged diet and existing acne remedies for 12 weeks. Acne was assessed using an overall severity grading scale, total inflammatory lesion counts, and colorimetry.
findingsThere was no significant change in acne grading and inflammatory counts at week 12 compared to baseline. However, there was a broad range of response to the intervention on an individual basis. The results showed that acne severity improved in 8 individuals, worsened in 4, and remained unchanged in 1. Interestingly, among the individuals who showed improvement, 7 were classified as having moderate to severe acne at baseline, while 3 of the 4 whose acne deteriorated were classified as having mild acne.
conclusionThere is some evidence that fish oil supplementation is associated with an improvement in overall acne severity, especially for individuals with moderate to severe acne. Divergent responses to fish oil in our pilot study indicates that dietary and supplemental lipids are worthy of further investigation in acne.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.