Good news for women with high melanoma risk factors, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. You might reduce your chances of developing it by 50% by ensuring you get enough vitamin D and calcium supplements according to some promising new research.
Doctors know that increased risk of this form of cancer comes from already having a non-melanoma (basil or squamous cell) skin cancer. Researchers on the study believe the findings are quite encouraging in terms of preventing melanoma in a population classed as high-risk.
Calcium and vitamin D are known for playing a part in the growth of bones, but they do affect other cells of the body as well. Some research has also shown that these two bone helpers are tied to a lower risk of breast, colon, prostate and other types of cancers.
400 IU (international units) of vitamin D is all you need according to the researchers. Whereas, the U.S. IOM (Institute of Medicine) suggests 600 IU daily.
The theory suggests that skin cancer cells lay in wait to form into a melanoma, but taking calcium and vitamin D, in the right amounts, might keep them from growing into a tumor.
Calcium has shown itself to be able to minimize tumor growth in those who have colon cancer. The researchers also noted that an earlier study they saw vitamin D supplementation cutting the chances of melanoma in older men.
For the current work, the team gathered information on over 36,200 women aged between 50 to 80 years who were taking part in the Women's Health Initiative study. To determine if calcium and vitamin D had an effect on broken hips or cancer of the colon, the subjects were assigned to take either supplements or a placebo. The supplements included 1,000 mg of calcium along with 400 International Units of vitamin D.
Over the next seven-years, the women who took the supplements and had a non-melanoma skin cancer cut their chances of developing a dangerous melanoma by a whopping 57% compared to subjects who did not receive the supplements. The reduction did not come for those who hadn't already suffered with a non-melanoma skin cancer.
From figures released by National Cancer Institute in America, 68,000 plus people are diagnosed with melanoma each year in the U.S. It's thought that lots of sun exposure in your youth ups your chances for developing for non-melanoma skin cancer. However, sunlight also has a role in vitamin D synthesis. The thinking goes that increasing your vitamin D levels naturally might help your skin cells from becoming cancerous. The role of calcium is not yet fully understood.
More work needs to be done to see if the results appear in men or younger women. The team also plans to test vitamin D and calcium compounds on cancer cells directly.
In the meantime, if you're at risk of skin cancer or not, getting enough vitamin D is important for keeping yourself healthy. You can get this important nutrient from foods like fatty fish and dairy, exposure to natural sunlight (not during peak hours of course) or taking daily supplements.
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