More Vitamin D Could Mean Skin Cancer

If you have a higher than normal level of vitamin D, you may be at higher risk of developing nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). They are usually easy to cure if detected and treated early.

Higher UV exposure from sunlight, long known to be a risk factor for skin cancer, also results in higher levels of vitamin D, complicating the relationship.

Melody J. Eide, MD, led a study at the Henry Ford Hospital which analyzed 3,223 people who were at high risk of developing NMSC. All of the participants were Caucasian and had received low-bone density counseling over a period of nearly 10 years.

Those whose vitamin D levels were adequate (as opposed to low) had a higher risk of developing NMSC, even when other risk factors were taken into account. The findings provide more understanding of the link between vitamin D levels and skin cancer, which has historically been inconsistent, but researchers want to find out more.

Eide concluded the study by stating that because UV exposure has a direct relationship with both vitamin D and NMSC, it was likely a cofounder.

The study points out that nearly 90 percent of the patients studied were female, and the entire study was conducted at a single institution. Due to the limited pool of participants in the study, as well as other missing factors, the researchers were not able to study the relationships with other things like exercise, bone density, smoking and menopause - all of which are factors that could be involved in the link between vitamin D and NMSC."