Let’s be clear: there are no diet, health, wellness, or other lifestyle choices that caused your vitiligo, and there are no lifestyle choices that can cure it. But as with any other autoimmune disease, nutrition and wellness can augment clinical treatments and support your body’s ability to restore melanocyte function.
Please note that dietary supplements are not regulated and are not without risk. Whenever possible, it’s best to get vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients directly from real food.
The topics below are intended to start a conversation with your dermatologist or primary care physician. Always speak with your doctor before making any major dietary changes, adding supplements, or otherwise altering your health and wellness routine.
Antioxidants
Some scientific evidence suggests that antioxidant supplementation combined with standard topical and/or photo therapy increases repigmentation as compared to topical and/or photo therapy alone. Supplements that may be beneficial for those with vitiligo include vitamin E, alpha-lipoic acid, Gingko biloba, PLE, and Cucumis melo. Foods rich in antioxidants include red beans, berries, pecans, walnuts, pinto beans, artichoke, avocado, prunes, black beans, and more.
Vitamin D
Research suggests that vitamin D supplementation (oral or topical) may help maintain skin pigment. Many people with vitiligo have low vitamin D levels, suggesting a connection between vitamin D levels and vitiligo. More studies are needed to fully understand this connection.
Gut Microbiome
A healthy gut microbiome supports a healthy immune system, and recent studies suggest that this extends to skin health as well. Probiotics found in yogurt, pickles, and other fermented foods and prebiotics found in fiber-rich vegetables, fruit, and grains can support a healthy gut microbiome.
Gluten-Free Diet
A gluten-free diet undertaken by a person with celiac disease and vitiligo could support repigmentation of the skin. Very limited case report evidence has suggested that a gluten-free diet could support repigmentation in a person that does not have celiac disease.
Copper & Zinc
Some evidence suggests a link between vitiligo and low levels of copper and zinc, but analyses of this potential link are inconclusive. Copper and zinc as supplements to standard vitiligo treatment continues to be studied.
References
Smith M, Mohammad T, Hamzavi I. Assessment of Dietary Supplementation in the Treatment of Vitiligo . The Open Dermatol J, 2017; 11: . http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874372201711010012
“The Role of Nutrition, Supplements, and the Gut Microbiome in Vitiligo: This article provides an overview of the available research on the role of nutrition and the gastrointestinal microbiome in vitiligo. Increased oxidative stress and inflammation are potential mechanisms”., JOID, vol. 1, no. 1, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.64550/joid.pmgw1x89.
Yuan C, Liu L, Zeng D, Yuan J, Guo L, Zhang J. Exploring the influence of gut microbiota metabolites on vitiligo through the gut-skin axis. Front Microbiol. 2025 Jul 9;16:1566267. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1566267. PMID: 40703229; PMCID: PMC12283607.
