Taking an over-the-counter vitamin B3 supplement could help you prevent skin cancer, groundbreaking research suggested today.
The supplement was linked to both reducing the odds of developing the deadly disease and improving the outcomes for skin cancer survivors, the researchers said.
Known as nicotinamide, the vitamin has shown promise in skin cancer prevention, with up to three quarters of skin surgeons reporting using it to help lower a person’s risk of developing skin cancer or keep it from coming back.
Now US scientists say taking nicotinamide could reduce the risk of skin cancer by 16 per cent.
For skin cancer patients who already had one skin cancer, taking the supplement could slash the risk of the cancer returning by up to 54 per cent.
Their findings come after rates of the cancer reached a record high in the UK last year, with new diagnoses increasing by almost a third in just decade according to Cancer Research UK.
In the current study researchers examined health data from over 33,820 US veterans—just over a third of which took the supplement twice daily for at least 30 days.
The remaining 21,479 participants had never taken the supplement.
Experts say taking niacinamide, a derivative of vitamin B3, could help slash the risk of developing skin cancer
Writing in the journal JAMA Dermatology, researchers concluded: ‘In this study nicotinamide use was associated with reduced skin cancer risk in those with at least one prior skin cancer.’
They noted the risk reduction was greatest when patients started taking vitamin B3, also known as niacinamide, after their first instance of skin cancer.
Its protective effect gradually decreased with each subsequent skin cancer—with those diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) experiencing the biggest benefit.
SCC is the second most common form of skin cancer, with more than 25,000 people diagnosed with the condition every year in the UK.
While it is highly survivable in its early stages, when left untreated it can spread to other areas of the body where it becomes more difficult to treat.
Kimberly Breglio, a dermatologist specialising in immunology and study co-author, said: ‘Timing of treatment was a crucial variable in our study, with patients experiencing benefit only when initiated after the first few skin cancers.’
She added: ‘Our results aligned with the risk estimates previously reported that showed a 30 to 50 per cent reduction in risk of skin cancer.’
Earlier this year, comedian Katherine Ryan, 41, revealed she’s battling cancer for the second time
The experts, while confident in the link between vitamin B3 and skin cancer prevention and treatment, acknowledged their study did have some limitations.
They noted that the cohort used is not necessarily generalisable, with the majority of participants being male.
However, they added: ‘This is a population that is at greater risk for skin cancer than the general population, so any risk reduction among this group would likely be similar to those with lesser baseline risk.’
They also noted that their study design was a retrospective observational study, rather than a randomised clinical trial which would allow them to better account for any potentially confounding variables.
As such they said further research is needed to determine the optimal potential for vitamin B3 with regards to skin cancer prevention.
In a review of the study, Dr Sarah Arron, high risk skin cancer programme lead at the University of California, welcomed the findings, saying: ‘The growing body of literature suggests that we should routinely recommend nicotinamide as secondary prevention for all patients with skin cancer ad that earlier initiation will have a stronger effect.’
Predominantly caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays via the sun or sunbeds, experts have long warned that up to 87 per cent of skin cancer cases could be avoided.
Yet a shocking 70 per cent of people in the UK make catastrophic errors when it comes to sun protection, increasing the risk of the deadly disease.
It comes as Cancer Research UK predicted there could be as many as 26,500 new cases of melanoma—the deadliest form of skin cancer—diagnosed every year by 2040, with the incidence rate raising faster than any other common cancer.
When diagnosing melanoma skin cancer, which typically presents as moles that have uneven edges, dermatologists look out for asymmetry, border, colour, diameter and evolving moles, known as the ABCDEs.
How the cancer is treated depends on whether the cancer has spread, with only a third of patients diagnosed at stage four surviving beyond five years.
Non-melanoma cancers, including SCC and basal cell carcinoma (BCC), starts in the top layer of skin and are usually caused by overexposure to UV rays from the sun and sunbeds.
The main symptoms include a growth or unusual patch on the skin.
Finding non-melanoma skin cancer early can mean it’s easier to treat so anyone who is worried about a new growth that has changed in colour or texture, hurts, bleeds, crusts or scabs for more than four weeks is urged to contact their GP.
In March, comedian Katherine Ryan, 41, revealed she’s battling skin cancer.
She made the revelation in her podcast, Telling Everybody Everything, explaining that she paid to have mole removed from her arm and learned shortly afterwards that it was cancerous.
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