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Foods rich in niacin (vitamin B3). Natural sources of vitamins such as liver, chicken breast, mackerel, wholemeal bread, wheat bran, buckwheat, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, almonds, peanuts, green peas, dried apricots, kiwi, orange and avocado.
- A large VA study confirms that nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, reduces the risk of skin cancer.
- The research found that taking the supplement reduced the risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer by 14 percent overall.
- Starting vitamins after first diagnosis reduced the risk of subsequent cancer by 54 percent.
- This affordable supplement can significantly reduce the need for surgery and health care costs.
- The findings suggest that a major shift toward early, proactive prevention is now possible.
Article by Cassie B., reprinted with permission naturalnews.com
You’ve been told your whole life that protecting your skin from cancer requires expensive creams, painful procedures, and constant vigilance. But what if a simple, affordable, and safe vitamin found on your local pharmacy shelf could dramatically reduce your risk? Groundbreaking new research involving thousands of patients confirms that a specific form of nutrition provides a powerful, natural defense against the most common cancer in the world. This is not a hypothetical theory; This is a data-driven finding from one of the largest health care systems in the United States that finally validates what natural health advocates have long suggested.
A huge retrospective study of 33,833 veterans conducted through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has provided strong evidence that nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, is a powerful weapon against nonmelanoma skin cancer. The research, co-authored by Dr. Lee Wheeless of the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System and Vanderbilt UniversityTook advantage of the VA’s vast data warehouse to track patients who were prescribed 500 mg of nicotinamide twice daily. This approach provided a real-world look at the effectiveness of supplements on a previously unseen scale.
These findings are a powerful confirmation of the power of nature. The analysis showed that those taking the vitamins had an overall 14 percent reduction in skin cancer risk. This in itself is an important result, demonstrating that a simple nutritional intervention can have a measurable impact on public health. For a country struggling with rising health care costs and a cancer industry that often prioritizes expensive treatments over affordable prevention, this study offers important hope.
power of early intervention
The most surprising data emerged when researchers examined the timing of the intervention. The protective benefit of nicotinamide skyrocketed when patients started taking it soon after first being diagnosed with skin cancer. In these individuals, the risk of later developing skin cancer dropped to a staggering 54 percent. The halving of risk from low-cost vitamins underscores an important principle of authentic health care: Early, active prevention is infinitely more effective and humane than late-stage treatment.
However, this benefit diminished when many skin cancers developed after treatment began. This key detail points to an important window of opportunity where the body’s natural defenses can be most effectively strengthened. This suggests that incorporating this nutritional strategy at the beginning of a patient’s journey may shift cancer prevention protocols from fundamentally reactive to proactive.
The study focused on the two most common types of nonmelanoma skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. These cancers affect millions of Americans each year, placing a heavy burden on the health care system. “We have patients who may have over 100 skin cancers and there are a lot of individual cancers to treat, a lot of surgeries and it takes a lot of time to heal them all,” Dr. Whales said, highlighting the practical impact. He added, “If we can reduce the skin cancer rate by 50 percent, if a patient was normally getting 10 skin cancers per year… that’s five less surgeries and will have a huge impact on that patient’s life.”
A paradigm shift in prevention
The implications of this study are profound for clinical practice. Dr. Wheeless said, “There are no guidelines for when to begin treatment with nicotinamide for skin cancer prevention in the general population. These results will really change our practice to begin treatment earlier than once patients have developed multiple skin cancers.” This represents a potential paradigm shift away from waiting for the disease to progress toward empowering patients with preventive tools at the first sign of trouble.
The economic implications are equally powerful. The VA notes that skin cancer treatment is one of the highest costs for community care referrals in dermatology. An affordable supplement that could cut the need for surgery in half isn’t just a medical win; This is a direct challenge to a system that profits from chronic disease. As Dr. Stokes Peebles, Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development, said, “There are very few interventions that can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence by such a large percentage.”
As Dr. Wheeless and his team look ahead, their goal is to refine this approach through precision medicine to identify which patients will benefit most. For anyone concerned about skin cancer, this research provides a clear, accessible, and empowering message: The power to dramatically reduce your risk may already be within your reach.
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