High Vitamin D levels associated with higher risk of melanoma??

[bdvince]

"[u]Vitamin D status and skin cancer risk independent of time outdoors]

Vitamin D may have anti-skin cancer effects, but population-based evidence is lacking. We therefore assessed associations between vitamin D status and skin cancer risk in an Australian subtropical community. We analyzed prospective skin cancer incidence for 11 years following baseline assessment of serum 25(OH)-vitamin D in 1,191 adults (average age 54 years) and used multivariable logistic regression analysis to adjust risk estimates for age, sex, detailed assessments of usual time spent outdoors, phenotypic characteristics, and other possible confounders. [b]Participants with serum 25(OH)-vitamin D concentrations above 75?nmol? l(-1) versus those below 75?nmol ?l(-1) more often developed basal cell carcinoma (odds ratio (OR)=1.51 (95% confidence interval (CI)] Squamous cell carcinoma incidence tended to be lower in persons with serum 25(OH)-vitamin D concentrations above 75?nmol ?l(-1) compared with those below 75?nmol ?l(-1) (OR=0.67 (95% CI: 0.44-1.03, P=0.07)). Vitamin D status was not associated with skin cancer incidence when participants were classified as above or below 50?nmol ?l(-1) 25(OH)-vitamin D. Our findings do not indicate that the carcinogenicity of high sun exposure can be counteracted by high vitamin D status. High sun exposure is to be avoided as a means to achieve high vitamin D status."

Basically what this is saying is that adults with vitamin D levels above 75 nmol/L (30 ng/mL) were more likely to develop melanoma and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in an 11-year follow-up period compared to adults whose serum 25(OH)-vitamin D levels were below 75 nmol/L (30 ng/mL). The finding for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) did show a slight protective association with higher vitamin D levels.

Thoughts @ RIURAO?

[bdvince]

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[quote][u]Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer]

Sun exposure is a major risk factor for skin cancer and is also an important source of vitamin D. We tested the hypothesis that elevated plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-vitD) associates with increased risk of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer in the general population. We measured plasma 25-OH-vitD in 10,060 white individuals from the Danish general population. During 28 years of follow-up, 590 individuals developed non-melanoma skin cancer and 78 developed melanoma skin cancer. Increasing 25-OH-vitD levels, by clinical categories or by seasonally adjusted tertiles, were associated with increasing cumulative incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer (trend P=2 × 10(-15) and P=3 × 10(-17)) and melanoma skin cancer (P=0.003 and P=0.001). Multivariable adjusted hazard ratios of non-melanoma skin cancer were 5.04 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.78-9.16) for 25-OH-vitD ?50 vs.

[Cees]

Could you post the original link of the article ?

[RIURAO]

Well,
I have no idea about what to think about that, many reports shows low Vitamin D3 Levels in patients with Melanoma. It is also true that this low leves was measured after diagnostic.
But... there is so many studies that suggest that high Vitamin D3 levels protects against many type of cancer, not only Melanoma or Skin cancer.

My opinion is that Vitamin D3 supplementation is needed in cases of people with low sun exposure, skin has been exposed to the sun naturally for thousen of years...and naturally the human never has exposed intentionally the skin at the sun for hours as today some people does. There are many variables that could affect the ecuation, even the sunscreen used....

[andrewjames]

I think there's something about this in the book Anti-fragile by Nassim Taleb.

It seems that exposure to sunlight is one of those things that has a protective effect at low levels, but decreases rapidly with increasing dose. The D3 correlation with skin cancer may be related to this. People living in the far north of Europe (Scotland, Scandinavia) have high levels of skin cancer but low exposure to sunlight.

Not sure if that makes sense - I might go and re-read it again.

[KE Gord]

I am sure that they are discussing sun exposure. Those who are getting their calcium through supplements, milks, yogurts and cheeses are likely safe from these deletrious effects. In fact proper Vitamin D levels are important for strong bones, reduced breast cancer risks and a number of other important things. I think taking Vitamin D as supplement is only wise. It is a good thing. Don't depend on the sun as a source of Vitamin D it is dangerous and too caprious.

[Buruku]

I also think that the high levels of vitamin D are probably correlated with excess sun exposure. However, I do take vitamin D supplements and generally avoid the sun so I think I will look more into this study to make sure there isn't anything saying high levels of vitamin D from supplements are also at higher risk.

[Sunflogun]

I don't think too much Vitamin D can be associated with melanoma, actually it think it's precisely the opposite. This article seems to support that idea.

[amanda1210]

I agree with Sunflogun. You can check this link. It basically says that we cannot blame too much sunlight for having cancer. But enough exposure to sun will surely prevent having melanoma. There's no study confirming that "over-exposure" is indeed cancerous. I just think we have to make sure that we get enough of what we need.

[peptidenoob]

This is very interesting because I love being outdoors. Well, it's also part of my job to stay exposed in the sun almost the whole day. The responses are great, too. So it seems like there is "underexposure" but there is no such thing as overdosing in Vitamin D3, right?

[lizknows]

I don't think too much Vitamin D can be associated with melanoma, actually it think it's precisely the opposite. This article seems to support that idea.

That's a great link, Sunflogun! Thank you for sharing! So it is okay to stay outdoors and got burned to your heart's desire but you don't really get the risk of having cancer. Okay, I will now considering going out fun now. I used to hate the heat. I hate applying sunblock. lol

[briannagodess]

I've read before that adequate sun exposure at appropriate times is one key of preventing certain cancers and skin diseases. That being said, too much exposure especially on harsh sunlight can also have negative effects on the body. It's a matter of choosing which time to expose yourself in the sun. Adequate Vitamin D is important for bones too.

On one hand, another doctor talked about how adequate sun exposure during harsh sunlight is important, even just 15 minutes a day. Oh men, these ideas are very conflicting and confusing I know!

[innaf93]

It all depends on your skin type, and the sunlight exposure. You could think that a said amount is too much for you, because you feel uncomfortable, but sometimes your skin needs it, and sometimes don't. You also have to pay attention for UV levels!

[bodybuilder]

I agree with Sunflogun. You can check this link. It basically says that we cannot blame too much sunlight for having cancer. But enough exposure to sun will surely prevent having melanoma. There's no study confirming that "over-exposure" is indeed cancerous. I just think we have to make sure that we get enough of what we need.

I actually think that too much sun can cause cancer. That's why we have to limit our sun exposure. Adequate sun is healthy, but too much of it can cause negative effects to the body.