People regularly taking vitamin D supplements are more than 50% less likely to develop melanoma compared to those who don’t take vitamin D tablets, a new report has revealed.
A study by the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital has found that individuals frequently taking vitamin D supplements are less at risk of developing skin cancer, particularly melanoma.
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy.
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A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.
Prior research has detected a link between vitamin D supplements and a reduced risk of skin cancer. However, these studies have mainly looked at how serum levels of calcidiol prevent the development of skin cancer.
Main author Professor Ilkka Harvima said: “These earlier studies back our new findings from the North Savo region here in Finland.
“However, the question about the optimal dose of oral vitamin D in order to for it to have beneficial effects remains to be answered. Until we know more, national intake recommendations should be followed.”
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During this investigation, the team of scientists examined the health of 498 adults, who were all then divided into three groups: non-users, occasional users and regular users.
They found that the participants using vitamin D supplements even on an occasional basis were more than 50% less at risk of developing melanoma compared to non-users.
The study has been published in the journal Melanoma Research.
