Restricted Supplements May Help to Prevent Skin Cancer

Grape seed extract and vitamin D show some indications of possible protection, but these need to be borne out by prospective clinical trials.

Despite billions spent on supplements, many claimed health benefits are unsubstantiated. Two recent studies evaluated supplements' protection against skin cancer.

Tang and colleagues analyzed incidence of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in postmenopausal participants in the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial. Participants were randomized to receive 1000 mg of elemental calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D₃ (18,716 women) or placebo (18,106 women); personal calcium and vitamin D supplementation was also allowed. Mean follow-up was 7.0 years. At 2 years, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were 28% higher in the intervention group than in the placebo group. No statistically significant between-group differences occurred …

Reviewing Author

Craig A. Elmets, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board Astellas Pharmaceuticals

EquityVaxin

Grant / Research support NIH; NIH/NCI; Veteran’s Administration; Ferndale Laboratories; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Pharma, Inc.

Editorial boards Cancer Prevention Research; Photodermatology, Photoimmunology, & Photomedicine; UpToDate; eMedicine; Journal of Dermatological Sciences; JAMA Dermatology

Leadership positions in professional societies American Academy of Dermatology (Vice Chair, Committee on Science and Research); Photomedicine Society (Board of Directors)