Vitamin D Associated With Increased Risk Of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers.

 A study published in the Archives of Dermatology is looking at the link between Vitamin D and Non-Melanoma skin cancer.  “Vitamin D, which some studies have found may protect against diabetes, heart disease and cancer, appears to raise the risk of non-melanoma malignancies," according to a report on  Bloomberg News. It seems to be shown that it is better for an individual to not rely on getting all their vitamin D from sun exposure only. When in the sun, one should still wear sunscreen. If more vitamin D is needed, physicians recommend getting an increase in their vitamin D levels by ingesting the vitamin in pill form. "An analysis of data on 3,223 patients found those with the highest amounts of vitamin D from sun exposure had a 60 percent greater risk of developing the most common form of skin cancer than those with lowest levels."

        HealthDay (8/16, Gardner) reports that the study "stops short of saying that high vitamin D levels might actually cause these types of cancer, because ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure is necessary for vitamin D production in the body. It might simply mean that people with more sun exposure tend to develop more non-melanoma skin cancers." The link between sun exposure and non-melanoma cancer is proven to be true, but the connection between vitamin D and non-melanoma cancer is still under review. MedPage Today  reports that "It's unclear whether it's the damage from UV rays that accounts for the risk, or rising vitamin D levels that accompany exposure to the rays."  It’s important for the human body to get sufficient amounts of Vitamin D, to protect itself against other diseases, but not at the cost of cancer. But don’t shy away from the sun! The sun is still a great way for an individual to get the amount of vitamin D they need daily; instead, protect yourself against non-melanoma cancer by wearing sunscreen, and only staying in direct sunlight for short periods of time.