A Vitamin Helps Prevent Skin Cancer

The abstract of an Australian study released at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting showed that a daily dose of 500 mg of nicotinamide in people who had previous non-melanoma skin cancer reduced the risk of another cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers are primarily basal cell and squamous cell cancers. Nicotinamide, also known as niacin amide, is a form of vitamin B3. It is a non-flushing form of niacin. The subjects in this study were between the ages of 30 and 91 and all had a previous history of skin cancer. The study lasted a year and showed a significant drop in skin cancers compared to a placebo.