The Vitamin D controversy, or How I Drank Milk and Avoided Skin Cancer

Vitamin D is an important chemical that has been found to do far more then maintain healthy bones.  Dermatologists have used a derivative of Vitamin D, calcipotriene, for decades as a treatment for psoriasis.  It is now known that Vitamin D also prevents several types of internal malignancies, cardiovascular disease and some neurologic diseases.  The controversy has been how to obtain Vitamin D.  Natural sunlight generates Vitamin D in the skin, so some have advocated unprotected sun exposure as a means of increasing Vitamin D levels.   Please, read the following excerpt from the American Academy of Dermatology; it is based on scientific facts, not suppositions.  Bottom line:  get your Vitamin D through a healthy diet and don’t unnecessarily increase your risk of skin cancer. 

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that an adequate amount of vitamin D 

should be obtained from a healthy diet that includes foods naturally rich in vitamin D, 

foods/beverages fortified with vitamin D, and/or vitamin D supplements; it should not be 

obtained from unprotected exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.   

 Unprotected UV exposure to the sun or indoor tanning devices is a known risk factor for 

the development of skin cancer.1  Studies have shown that UV radiation from both the 

sun and tanning devices can cause oncogenic mutations in skin cells.2,3  Use of sunbeds 

have also been associated with increased risk for melanoma and squamous cell 

carcinoma.4 

 To minimize the risk of UV-induced skin cancers, a comprehensive photoprotective 

regimen, including the regular use and proper use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen , is 

recommended.5  This is especially important for those with fair skin, as the amount of UV 

exposure required to maximize vitamin D synthesis in the skin is far less than the 

sunburn dose.6,7  

The Academy also recommends that physicians should discuss options for obtaining sufficient 

dietary or supplementary sources of vitamin D with their patients. 

 Many epidemiological studies suggest an association between low serum vitamin D 

levels and increased risk of certain types of cancers, neurologic disease, autoimmune 

disease and cardiovascular disease.8-16  Further research is needed to determine the 

appropriate serum concentration of vitamin D required for overall good health.17 

 The National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine guidelines for vitamin D are a 

standard reference for advising patients on proper minimal intake levels (see Table 

below).18  A higher dose of vitamin D supplementation for individuals with known risk 

factors for vitamin D deficiency (dark skin, elderly, photosensitive patients) should be 

considered.6,19 

It should be noted, however, that the currently recommended adequate intake levels established 

by the Institute of Medicine may be revised upward due to evolving research on the increasing 

clinical benefit of vitamin D.