A derivative of vitamin B3, nicotinamide, sold as a dietary supplement, could help reduce the risk of skin cancer.
That’s according to scientists at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who found that taking this form of vitamin B3 lowered the risk of skin cancer by 14%. Among those who had already developed this type of cancer, the risk was reduced by as much as 54%.
The research team analysed data from more than 33,800 US military veterans, including 12,287 who had taken nicotinamide twice a day for over a month, while the remaining participants had never taken it.
“This study builds on several trials since 2015 that have shown nicotinamide to be effective at reducing skin cancer risk. In practice, often we did not do a good job at starting this early and many dermatologists, myself included, have felt that that 23 percent seemed a bit optimistic [the reduction of skin cancer found in a previous study],” study author Lee Wheless told Newsweek.
Dr Wheless explained that the study focused specifically on the oral form of nicotinamide, which is entirely different from niacin, another derivative of vitamin B3.
“In our study, we saw effects in those with as little as 30 days of exposure, though patients with longer exposures tended to have started after a greater number of skin cancers, so there are still unanswered questions as to the proper duration of treatment,” he added.
