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Vitamin D may protect women with previous skin cancer from developing melanoma
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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Taking vitamin D may protect women with a history of skin cancer from a much more dangerous form of the disease, melanoma, a recent study has found. But the findings need to be confirmed, the study's authors write, because the number of participants who developed melanoma was very small to begin with.
"We're not talking about taking super-high doses," said study leader Dr. Jean Tang of the Stanford University School of Medicine, "but after having skin cancer, the risk of melanoma increases, and taking small doses of calcium and vitamin D would be a reasonable step and would not cause harm."
There is some evidence that vitamin D may protect against skin cancer and other cancers by affecting cell growth and, presumably, by stopping healthy cells from turning into cancer cells. Whether this explains vitamin D's protective properties is what the authors of this study wanted to test.
To do this, they turned to previously collected data on 36,000 women participating in the Women's Health program aged 50 to 79. Half of the subjects took 1,000 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D3 daily, while the other half received a placebo. Then, using questionnaires and medical records, the scientists determined how many women developed skin cancer over the course of 7 years.
According to the study results, there was no difference in the incidence of skin cancer or melanoma in women in the two groups.
Skin cancer (not melanoma) developed in 1,700 women in both groups. In fact, melanoma was diagnosed in 82 women in the calcium and vitamin D group and 94 women in the placebo group.
"Despite the limitations of this work, I see no reason for women not to increase their vitamin D intake," said Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University, who was not involved in the study. "Its role in reducing the risk of colon and breast cancer is compelling, it may also protect against type 2 diabetes and infectious diseases, and calcium and vitamin D may help prevent osteoporosis."
As for the connection between vitamin D and skin cancer, there simply isn't enough good data, and the Women's Health study participants were given fairly low doses of the vitamin. Dr. Tang says she and her colleagues are currently recruiting women for a new study that will test the link between skin cancer and vitamin D at higher doses.