Six food diet for childhood atopic dermatitis.

Sixty-three children with severe atopic dermatitis aged 0.4 to 14.8 years, were treated with a diet eliminating all but six foods for a 6-week period. Nine (14%) abandoned the diet before 6 weeks had elapsed. Twenty-one (33%) completed the diet but did not benefit. Thirty-three (52%) patients obtained greater than or equal to 20% improvement in the disease severity score at 6 weeks, and for these patients, foods were reintroduced singly at weekly intervals. The outcome at 12 months was the same for the group who responded to the diet, the group who failed to respond, and the group who failed to comply, because of the tendency for dermatitis to improve markedly in all three groups. Although dietary elimination of this type may be associated with immediate improvement, the long term outcome appears to be unaffected by dietary success or failure.