- Vitamin D Council >
- Health conditions >
- Cancer >
- Melanoma >
- Prevention
There is some evidence that dietary vitamin D reduces the risk of melanoma12.
This meta-analysis probably underestimates the effect of vitamin D for two reasons:
- dietary vitamin D is a small component of the total vitamin D supply, and
- the beneficial effect of vitamin D may come much earlier in life than studied in observational studies.
A recent review suggested that vitamin D might reduce the risk of developing melanoma, and that serum 25(OH)D levels of 75-100 nmol/L (30-40 ng/mL) might be adequate3.
Page last edited: 18 July 2011
References
- Gandini, S. Raimondi, S. Gnagnarella, P. Dore, J. F. Maisonneuve, P. Testori, A. Vitamin D and skin cancer: a meta-analysis. Eur J Cancer. 2009 Mar; 45 (4): 634-41.
- Millen, A. E. Tucker, M. A. Hartge, P. Halpern, A. Elder, D. E. Guerry, D. th Holly, E. A. Sagebiel, R. W. Potischman, N. Diet and melanoma in a case-control study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2004 Jun; 13 (6): 1042-51.
- Field, S. Newton-Bishop, J. A. Melanoma and vitamin D. Molecular oncology. 2011 Apr; 5 (2): 197-214.