Claim of Increased Melanoma Risk from Antioxidants
Not Supported by New Study
Study examined antioxidants and melanoma
association among 69,671 women and men and found none
Aug. 17, 2009 – Researchers, alarmed by a recent
trial of antioxidants used for cancer prevention that indicated an
increase in the risk of melanoma in women, examined this association
among almost 70,000 women and say they found no link higher risk of
melanoma.
Antioxidant supplements do not appear to be
associated with an increased risk of melanoma
Couples encouraged to examine each other for
suspicious moles that could be skin cancer. Researchers estimate that 40
– 50% of people in the U.S. who live to age 65 will have nonmelanoma
skin cancer at least once.
The previous study, a randomized trial of
antioxidants for cancer prevention found that daily supplementation with
nutritionally appropriate doses of vitamins C and E, beta carotene,
selenium and zinc appeared to increase the risk of melanoma in women
four-fold, according to the new report in the August issue of
Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Because an estimated 48 percent to 55 percent of
U.S. adults use vitamin or mineral supplements regularly, the potential
harmful effects of these nutrients is alarming, the authors noted.
Maryam M. Asgari, M.D., M.P.H., of Kaiser
Permanente Northern California, Oakland, and colleagues examined the
association between antioxidants and melanoma among 69,671 women and men
who were participating in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study,
designed to examine supplement use and cancer risk.
At the beginning of the study, between 2000 and
2002, participants completed a 24-page questionnaire about lifestyle
factors, health history, diet, supplement use and other cancer risk
factors.
Intake of multivitamins and supplements during the
previous 10 years, including selenium and beta carotene, was not
associated with melanoma risk in either women or men. The researchers
also examined the risk of melanoma associated with long-term use of
supplemental beta carotene and selenium at doses comparable to the
previous study and found no association.
"Consistent with the present results, case-control
studies examining serologic [blood] levels of beta carotene, vitamin E
and selenium did not find any association with subsequent risk of
melanoma," the authors write.
"Moreover, the Nurses' Health Study reported no
association between intake of vitamins A, C and E and melanoma risk in
162,000 women during more than 1.6 million person-years of follow-up."
Editor's Note: This study was supported in part by
a grant from the National Institute of Arthritis Musculoskeletal and
Skin Diseases and by grants from the National Cancer Institute.
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Aug. 17, 2009 – Researchers, alarmed by a recent
trial of antioxidants used for cancer prevention that indicated an
increase in the risk of melanoma in women, examined this association
among almost 70,000 women and say they found no link higher risk of
melanoma.