HomeA new experiment has shown that vitamin D supplements can reduce the risk of skin cancer, but is this really the case?
The study, whose results were published in Melanoma Research, involved 498 adults between the ages of 21 and 79.
Specialists noted that all participants were in the risk group of developing skin cancer.
The findings of the study showed that participants who underwent D deficiency correction had a 46% lower risk of developing malignant melanoma.
For ordinary users, this indicator increased to 55%.
Moreover, these figures correlate with similar figures for other types of skin cancer.
However, researcher Ilkka T. Harvima, MD, University of Eastern Finland, added that the results of the experiment are still being tested, so it is not yet possible to 100% confirm "a causal relationship between vitamin D and melanoma."
And Dr. Slade Stratton, a dermatologist and professor of dermatology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, cautioned against taking too many vitamin D supplements.
"This is a retrospective, uncontrolled study, and it is difficult to draw any conclusions about vitamin D and whether it can help prevent melanoma. We cannot yet say what specific role vitamin D plays in reducing the incidence of melanoma," he said.
So laboratory studies have shown that vitamin D3 protects skin cells from UV damage, but exactly how this happens remains unclear.
At the same time, the specialist noted that learning more about vitamin D and its possible role in preventing the progression of melanoma will help a wider study, which will be completed at the end of 2023.
The doctor promised "exciting" results.
"It's always a good idea to talk to your doctor first if you're considering taking supplements or wondering if you even need them," he added.
So be careful with supplements and always follow the individual instructions of a specialist.
Let's add that the sun vitamin (vitamin D) is synthesized not only with sunlight.
It can be obtained by eating certain foods.
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