The Diet Principles for Vitiligo Patient

1. Increase the ingestion of foods that have abundant tyrosine which can transform to melanin through oxidation. The major source of tyrosine is food, and the activity of tyrosinase could be improved with the participation of copper, zinc and many other microelement. Therefore, the vitiligo patients should eat the foods have abundant tyrosine, copper and zinc, such as the livers from livestock, lean meats, eggs, beans and fresh vegetables.

2. Scientists found that the activity of tyrosinase will be improved with the lack of glutathione. Reduce the ingestion of glutathione could be an effective way to recall the activity of tyrosinase. Therefore, the vitiligo patients should eat less or avoid the foods have abundant glutathione, such as onions, tomatoes, fish, shrimps, lamb, chilies and etc. Especially, the vitiligo patients should not drink alcohol, otherwise it could lead the aggravation of vitiligo. Vitiligo patients could eat more carrots, celery, eggplants, oilseed rapes, and etc. Vitiligo patients could eat more grape, apples, and the nuts such as walnut, peanuts, sesames and etc.

3. Eat less food contain Vitamin C, the Vitamin C will reduce the amount of serum copper, and then reduce the activity of tyrosinase. In the experiment of melanin metabolism, Vitamin C is able to block the formation of melanin. Therefore, the vitiligo patients should eat less vegetables and fruits such as green pepper, tomato, citrus, grapefruit, lemon, hawthorn, jujube and etc. The patients should eat more food that abundant in the copper ion, such as dried apricot, pumpkin, peanut, and watermelon seed.

4. Vitiligo patients should not eat spinach. The spinach contains lots of oxalic acid that can influence the absorption of copper ions.