September 2007 follow up: "Is melanoma simply a vitamin D deficiency cancer?"

TO: All melanoma researchers, doctors, and patients.

Long before the current vitamin D hype, the famous Garland brothers
made a significant observation. They found that personnel in indoor
occupations had the highest incidence of melanoma, whereas those
working both indoors and outdoors had the lowest. (See Garland, FC
and Garland CF, "Occupational sunlight exposure and melanoma in the
U.S. Navy", Archives of Environmental Health, 1990, volume 45, number
5, pages 261 to 267)

So melanoma risk is higher inside (where too little sunlight causes
vitamin D deficiency) and outside (where too much sunlight also causes
vitamin D deficiency), but it is lower spending time in both (which
produces more vitamin D than in either environment exclusively). The
prevention of melanoma--a vitamin D deficiency cancer--therefore
involves moderating sun exposure, not minimizing nor maximizing it.

Note that personnel in outdoor occupations still had a lower melanoma
risk than those working completely indoors. Thus, when in doubt, err
on the side of more fresh air and sunlight.

James Semmel
Albuquerque, New Mexico


reference:
http://www.mpip.org/cgi-bin/mpip/dbf...bb&post=396602
Last month's follow up to the 4th annual discussion: "Is melanoma
simply a vitamin D deficiency cancer?"