From Food to Skin: Understanding Nutritional Dermatoses through the Ayurvedic Concept

Abstract

Background: Nutritional status is fundamental to maintaining the structural and functional integrity of the skin. As a metabolically active organ, the skin requires adequate proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients for epidermal differentiation, cutaneous barrier maintenance, collagen synthesis, antioxidant defence, immune regulation, and wound healing. Nutritional dermatoses comprise a heterogeneous group of cutaneous manifestations resulting from inadequate intake, impaired absorption, altered metabolism, increased physiological requirements, or excessive nutrient loss. Objective: To review nutritional dermatoses and their clinical manifestations and explore their possible correlation with the Ayurvedic concepts of food, digestive fire and the formation of various tissues. Methods: A narrative review was undertaken using contemporary concepts of nutritional dermatology concerning nutrient deficiencies, restrictive dietary patterns, malabsorption, chronic systemic disorders, and altered nutrient availability. These concepts were examined alongside classical Ayurvedic principles related to digestion, transformation, nourishment, and tissue maintenance. Results: Nutritional disturbances may manifest as xerosis, dermatitis, hyperkeratosis and many other conditions. Ayurveda emphasizes food as a fundamental determinant of nourishment and health, with Agni governing the transformation and utilization of consumed food. Metabolism and tissue formation (Dhātu Poṣaṇa) provide a conceptual framework for understanding the sequential nourishment of body tissues. These concepts may offer a broader perspective on the relationship between dietary intake, digestion, metabolism, tissue nourishment, and skin health, although they cannot be directly equated with individual biochemical pathways. Conclusion: Understanding nutritional dermatoses through both contemporary nutritional dermatology and Ayurvedic principles may provide an integrative perspective on nutrition-related skin manifestations. Further interdisciplinary research is warranted to explore these conceptual correlations systematically. Keywords: Nutritional dermatoses, Dhātu Poṣaṇa, Nutritional deficiency