According to a new study, vitamin A may reduce the risk of squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common skin cancer.
Skin cancer kills one person every ten minutes worldwide. Its most common form (70% of skin cancers) and also the least serious is basal cell carcinoma. Then comes squamous cell carcinoma (20%), much more aggressive. Due to the severity and frequency of this disease, many researchers are trying to find strategies to decrease the risk of developing it. Since vitamin A, present in animal products (eggs, chicken, etc.) and many fruits and vegetables, is known to increase the skin’s tolerance to the sun, American researchers wanted to see if its consumption could reduce the risk of squamous cell carcinoma. The answer is yes, as revealed by the study published on July 31 in the journal JAMA Dermatology.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists analyzed data from 75,170 women with an average age of 50.4 who had participated in the Nurses’ Health Study and that of 48,400 men with an average age of 54.3. years examined for the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
Over a 26-year follow-up period, the researchers counted a total of 3,978 skin cancers among these people. The latter having to complete detailed questionnaires on their diet every four years, the scientists were also able to study their consumption of vitamin A. They were thus able to observe that the volunteers who had ingested the most had a lower risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma. .
Homogeneity of the study population
“In this large, prospective study of American women and men, we found that an overall higher intake of vitamin A, retinol, and several individual carotenoids, including beta cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, was associated with a lower risk of (squamous cell cancer),” write the researchers.
While this study is a good start to understanding which dietary factors might influence skin cancer risk, the researchers admit some limitations to their study. Indeed, the population studied was composed exclusively of whites, health professionals and educated. Also, for further study, people from more diverse populations should be followed.
However, “skin cancer is not common in non-white people,” note the researchers, who therefore support the idea that adequate vitamin A intake may help prevent the development of skin cancer.
“Vitamin A and dietary vitamin A supplementation may be beneficial”
And to conclude: “we found an inverse association between vitamin A and carotenoid intake and the risk of skin development (squamous cell carcinoma), which supports the protective role of vitamin A against the development of (squamous cell carcinoma) Our data support the claim that supplementation with vitamin A and dietary vitamin A may be beneficial in the prevention of (squamous cell carcinoma).”
The latter can be favored by chronic sun exposure, a history of radiotherapy, chronic scars, chronic inflammatory conditions or papillomavirus infections, especially in the genital areas.
In France, where nearly 60,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year according to the League Against Cancer, ANSES recommends to consume 750 µg (microgram) of vitamin A daily for men and 650 µg for women. For children, the “old nutritional references (recommended dietary allowances or ANC) ranged from 450 to 550 µg of ER (retinol equivalent, editor’s note) depending on the age group. They are being reassessed”, notes the Handles.
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