You may have both food allergies and eczema. However, reactions to food are not typically a cause of eczema symptoms in most people with this condition.

Food allergies don’t cause a person to develop eczema, but they may trigger or worsen eczema symptoms in some people.

Understanding the relationship between food allergies and eczema can help you learn whether adjusting your diet could potentially help improve your symptoms.

While eczema and food allergies are separate conditions, they often coexist, particularly in children.

Research indicates that food allergies affect 30% of children with moderate and severe eczema. However, researchers now believe that eczema comes before the food allergy, not the other way around. Additionally, eczema is thought to be the main risk factor for developing a food allergy.

But there are some cases where food allergies can trigger or worsen eczema symptoms.

Foods commonly involved in food-related eczema include:

  • dairy
  • fish and shellfish
  • soy
  • eggs
  • tree nuts
  • wheat or gluten
  • peanuts

If you think you may be reacting to a particular food, it’s important to speak with a doctor or dietitian before eliminating it completely. They can help you learn if food is a potential trigger or if other factors may be the cause.

In some instances, they’ll want to carry out a test to confirm a true allergy.

In some people, changing their diet can help with eczema symptoms. No one diet will help every person though. If you notice particular foods worsen your symptoms, you can try avoiding that food and reintroducing it after a period of time to see if it makes a difference.

However, it’s important to speak with a healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet.

It’s also important to remember that while food can sometimes play a role in eczema flare-ups, it’s not the only factor.

A holistic approach to managing eczema should include proper skin care, stress management, and working closely with healthcare professionals to identify individual triggers.

Sometimes, cutting out a particular food can actually cause or worsen an allergy.

A 2022 review notes that avoiding potential allergens may cause a severe food allergy to develop. So, it’s important to work closely with your doctor and avoid certain foods only if advised.

Additionally, guidelines from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases recommend introducing peanut butter to infants with eczema, as this may help reduce the risk of developing a peanut allergy later in life.

This differs from previous advice that children at risk of food allergies should avoid certain foods, including peanuts.

Removing food groups from a child’s diet can affect their growth and cause nutritional deficiencies, so you should only do this under the recommendation and supervision of your doctor.

While the relationship between eczema and food allergies is complex, understanding potential triggers and working closely with healthcare professionals can help manage symptoms and improve your quality of life.

If you feel a certain food is impacting your eczema, speak with your doctor to find out whether it’s truly the cause. This is particularly important if you feel an entire food group is at fault, so you don’t risk becoming nutritionally deficient.