Named a popular food additive that protects against cancer

An international group of scientists has established that nicotinamide - a derivative of vitamin B3 - can significantly reduce the risk of skin cancer. The results of the study were published in the journal JAMA Dermatology.

Specialists analyzed medical records data of 33.8 thousand US veterans from the Veterans Affairs healthcare system database. It turned out that taking nicotinamide at a dosage of 500 mg twice a day for more than 30 days reduced the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer by 14%. In particular, this refers to basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

The most pronounced effect was observed in patients who had already experienced a first case of skin cancer: their likelihood of developing new tumors decreased by 54%. At the same time, the greatest risk reduction was noted specifically for squamous cell carcinoma.

"Today there are no clear recommendations on when to start preventive nicotinamide intake. Our results may change the approach: the supplement should be prescribed earlier, not after the patient has already experienced several tumors," noted the lead author of the work, Lee Wheless, professor of dermatology and medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and physician at the VA Tennessee Valley system.