Regular Use of Vitamin D Linked to Fewer Melanoma Cases

TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Fewer melanoma cases are seen among individuals with regular use of oral vitamin D supplements, according to a study published online Dec. 28 in Melanoma Research.

Emilia Kanasuo, from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study involving 498 adults (96 with immunosuppression) aged 21 to 79 years to examine the risk for any type of skin cancer in association with the use of oral vitamin D supplements. Individuals were categorized based on their self-reported use of oral vitamin D-3 supplements: nonuse, occasional use, or regular use.

The researchers found that vitamin D use was not associated with photoaging, actinic keratoses, nevi, or basal and squamous cell carcinoma among the immunocompetent individuals. In contrast, among regular users versus nonusers, a significantly lower percentage of individuals had a history of past or present melanoma (18.1 versus 32.3 percent) or any type of skin cancer (62.1 versus 74.7 percent). Among regular users, the odds ratio for melanoma was 0.447 in a logistic regression analysis. Furthermore, regular users had a significantly lower investigator-estimated risk class of skin cancers. No marked associations were seen for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D3 with skin-related parameters. In the immunosuppressed individuals, the results were similar, although the number of individuals was low.

"The question about the optimal dose of oral vitamin D in order for it to have beneficial effects remains to be answered," a coauthor said in a statement. "Until we know more, national intake recommendations should be followed."

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