Shoppig Cart
Checkout
0
0

Solar Skin Care & The ONTRAC and Harvard Studies

images
04 Oct 2019 Skin Care

a8h

 

 Click Here 

 

The amazing skin cancer protection of Oral Nicotinamide and Carotenoids to Reduce Sun Cancer: The Australian ONTRAC Study and Harvard University Research 

Key Points

> SCC's and BCC's The Most Common Skin Cancers:
It is apt that this study was undertaken in Australia, a 'sunburnt country' where non-melanoma skin cancers such as Basal Cell Carcinomas (BCCs) and Squamous Cell Cancers (SCCs) are four times (4x) more common than all other cancers combined1.

> The burden of skin cancers in Australia: 
According to Skin Cancer Australia, 2 in 3 Australians will suffer a skin cancer by the age of 70 with the risk of getting a non-malanoma skin cancer (NMSC) being higher in men with mortality also being higher in men.

> The tremendous cost of treating rather than preventing these cancers:
The total cost of treating non-melanoma skin cancers in the USA was estimated to be a staggering $4.8 billion dollars1. In Australia this figure is around $700 million (Skin Cancer Australia). 

> Why is the use of such a safe treatment with Vitamin-B3 not being shouted from the rooftops: 
It seems absurd to me when studies like the ONTRAC research findings show such promise and where vitamin treatments have a ridiculously low side-effect rate in comparison to pharmaceutical interventions. The use of Vitamin-B3 as 'chemoprevention' is offered by some Dermatologists but why isn't this being offered at the primary care (GP) level? This treatment is incredibly low-cost in comparison to other interventionist treatments and it actually decreases the risk of getting both the non-melanoma skin cancers (SCCs and BCCs) and can decrease the risk of solar keratoses the precursors to SCCs. 

 

The ( ONTRAC) Study: Why is this finding not being shouted out from every rooftop in Australia?

The ONTRAC study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase-3 Trial that treated people who had non-melanoma skin cancers in the past with Nicotinamide (a form of Vitamin-B3) 500 mg twice daily during the trial. At 12 months it was found that there was a massive 23% reduction in new non-melanoma skin cancers!!! 

If we extrapolate this simply, there would be a saving of at least $161 million dollars from these nicotinamide treated individuals due to far less surgery, far less post-surgical care due to complications such as infection or bleeding post-surgery, it would slash the need for regular dressings costing the tax payer a great deal of unnecessary money being spent, and a great deal of savings on medications such as antibiotics for post-surgery infections. We also need to keep in mind tax payer funded or subsidized further visits for surveillance check-ups which would also include treatment of solar keratoses at regular intervals and these solar keratoses are precancerous skin lesions that lead to SCCs and BCCs.

Of great interest, this study showed that there was a 11% reduction in the precancerous actinic (solar) keratoses at 3 months. So this simple and safe vitamin at a high dose can work very fast.

Prevention neglect in favour of intervention seems like a waste of money and this also puts an individual at risk of dying or being disfigured from surgery that may be unnecessary for millions if chemoprevention became the norm. To be fair, many Dermatologists do talk to their clients about 'chemo-prevention' in the form of nicotinamide but the knowledge is not widely known in the community and is sadly lacking in the General Practice community of doctors at the frontline of skin cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The sad fact why such absolutely inexpensive supplements are ignored in the medical system is that there is no registered trademark that can be applied to a vitamin and hence no blockbuster drug that can be spruiked to the medical profession. However, in the face of scientific evidence, it becomes unethical to not discuss this simple and inexpensive preventative strategy to significantly decrease the risk of skin cancer and precancerour solar keratoses. Such evidence puts any medical practitioner at risk for not discussing promising treatments for prevention. 

A carrot a day keeps Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) at bay

Findings from huge studies by Harvard University, known as the Nurse's Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, showed that those who had the lowest intake of Vitamin-A were 17% more likely to develop an SCC than those who were Vitamin-A sufficient2. This was a robust and very large study involving 170,000 people and these studies are among the most famous in medical history.

This skin protecting effect of Vitamin-A is not surprising as Vitamin-A is critical for mucosal and skin immunity and integrity. The mucosa is the lining of all the inner hollow organ systems including the gut, nasal lining, middle ear, sinuses, bladder, respiratory tract, genital tract. Skin health also depends on Vitamin-A as retinoids (Vitamin-A derivatives) are important for skin cell proliferation, differentiation and the production of sebum an oily substance that coats and protects the skin.

As one paper put it, "No nutritional deficiency is more synergistic with infection than vitamin A3”. A deficiency in Vitamin-A is one of the most common causes of blindness on the planet and is responsible for the differentiation of essentially all cells in the body. So it is no wonder that a lack of Vitamin-A can lead to an increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer and specifically Squamous Cell Cancer (SCC).

Around 95% of those in the Australian population do not consume an adequate intake of fruit and vegetables and as a result, the intake of provitamin-A betacarotene, an important souce of Vitamin-A in the body, is greatly diminished

 

Beta Carotene, Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Lycopene's Role in Skin Protection

 

It is interesting that the Harvard study findings above indicated that it was not animal sources of Vitamin-A that were important but vegetable sources (Vitamin-A producing Carotenoids like Beta Carotene)2.

The carotenoids are not just important for the production of Vitamin-A but they can also act as filters for UVA and UVB in the skin.

The body tends to use Beta-Carotene for Vitamin-A conversion as it needs it thus you can never get too much Vitamin-A from Beta-Carotene

Lutein Zeaxanthin and Lycopene can provide this dietary photoprotection for your skin4,5,6 and eyes. What is often forgotten is that ultraviolet radiation damages the inner tissues of the eye that includes the macula vital for clarity of vision. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are not converted to Vitamin-A but are concentrated in the macula of the retina.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin absorb high-energy wavelengths6 including Blue Light and act as powerful antioxidants to protect the retina. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are also found in the skin and provide a UV filtering effect from dietary acquired compounds i.e. Carotenoids. Animal studies have shown significant protection of the skin from UVB radiation7.

Lycopene has powerful antioxidant effects and studies have shown a 40% reduction in sunburn with the consumption of high lycopene food or supplements10.

 
Nicotinamide (Vitamin-B3)

Nicotinamide was the form of Vitamin-B3 used in the ONTRAC study at 1 gram per day for 12 months1. However, newer versions of Vitamin-B3 such as Nicotinamide Riboside, may provide even more protective effects. 
Nicotinamide Riboside (Vitamin-B3)

Nicotinamide Riboside is a new version of Vitamin-B3.

This highly researched molecule has been touted as the 'fountain-of-youth' as it rapidly increases NAD+ in all cells. NAD+ enables PARP-1 an enzyme that carries out DNA repair to function but PARP-1 needs a lot of NAD+ to function8.

NAD is also critical for Sirtuins to function and these molecules are major regulators of DNA repair, cell ageing, inflammatory processes and determine whether cells undergo cell multiplication or cell death (apoptosis). Sirtuin activation is the real fountain-of-youth.

 

References:

  1. Chen, A.C., Martin, A.J., Choy, B., Fernández-Peñas, P., Dalziell, R.A., McKenzie, C.A., Scolyer, R.A., Dhillon, H.M., Vardy, J.L., Kricker, A. and St. George, G., 2015. A phase 3 randomized trial of nicotinamide for skin-cancer chemoprevention. New England Journal of Medicine, 373(17), pp.1618-1626.
  2. Kim, J., Park, M.K., Li, W.Q., Qureshi, A.A. and Cho, E., 2019. Association of Vitamin A Intake With Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Risk in the United States. JAMA dermatology.
  3. McCullough, F., et al. (1999). "The effect of vitamin A on epithelial integrity." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 58(02): 289-293.
  4. Lee, E.H., Faulhaber, D., Hanson, K.M., Ding, W., Peters, S., Kodali, S. and Granstein, R.D., 2004. Dietary lutein reduces ultraviolet radiation-induced inflammation and immunosuppression. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 122(2), pp.510-517.
  5. Stahl, W. and Sies, H., 2012. β-Carotene and other carotenoids in protection from sunlight. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 96(5), pp.1179S-1184S.
  6. Roberts, R.L., Green, J. and Lewis, B., 2009. Lutein and zeaxanthin in eye and skin health. Clinics in Dermatology, 27(2), pp.195-201.
  7. González, S., Astner, S., An, W., Pathak, M.A. and Goukassian, D., 2003. Dietary lutein/zeaxanthin decreases ultraviolet B-induced epidermal hyperproliferation and acute inflammation in hairless mice. Journal of investigative dermatology, 121(2), pp.399-405.
  8. Pittelli, M., Felici, R., Pitozzi, V., Giovannelli, L., Bigagli, E., Cialdai, F., Romano, G., Moroni, F. and Chiarugi, A., 2011. Pharmacological effects of exogenous NAD on mitochondrial bioenergetics, DNA repair, and apoptosis. Molecular pharmacology, 80(6), pp.1136-1146.
  9. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/carotenoids
  10. Stahl, W., Heinrich, U., Aust, O., Tronnier, H. and Sies, H., 2006. Lycopene-rich products and dietary photoprotection. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 5(2), pp.238-242.