Vitamin D dials down the aggression in melanoma cells

Ummmmm, per your article the recommended source for Vitamin D is:

“getting 10 micrograms per day as part of our diet or as supplements”

This article is from a reputable source, nonetheless, the article title is a bit disingenuous. What they didn’t include in the title (which would not have been nearly as exciting sounding) is the key information:
“… in the lab…in MICE” (emphasis added in all caps)

There is a lot of research currently underway focusing on new treatments or melanoma vaccines. Some will never make it to clinical trials for a variety of reasons, mainly because they aren’t viable candidates to move forward. It is a long process.

Vitamin D is an important nutrient for everyone. It is not a proven treatment for melanoma, nor is it proven that in HUMANS it will reduce the aggressiveness of melanoma, but this is certainly a very interesting focus of research. If one day it is proven through clinical trials that it boosts effectiveness of immunotherapy, targeted therapy or whatever new treatments are developed, that’s great.

For now, it is just an important nutrient, like so many others that promote good health, and you’re right that the sun is a great (free) source. That’s it. The NIH has some very useful info on what vitamin D does and dosage recommendations: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-Consumer/

Thank you for sharing this UK study. It is important to note that no one is suggesting to bathe in the sun for hours.
The following link may be helpful
https://www.healthline.com/
The article has few interesting points.
1. Only a handful of foods contain significant amounts of vitamin D.
These include cod liver oil, swordfish, salmon, canned tuna, beef liver, egg yolks and sardines. That said, you would need to eat them nearly every day to get enough vitamin D.
If you do not get enough sunlight, it’s often recommended to take a supplement like cod liver oil. One tablespoon (14 grams) of cod liver oil contains more than three times the recommended daily amount of vitamin D (4).

2. For example, in the UK, 13 minutes of midday sunlight exposure during summer three times per week is enough to maintain healthy levels among Caucasian adults (5Trusted Source).
Another study found that 30 minutes of midday summer sun exposure in Oslo, Norway was equivalent to consuming 10,000–20,000 IU of vitamin D (8Trusted Source).
The commonly recommended daily dose of vitamin D is 600 IU (15 mcg) (3).

3. People living in areas farther away from the equator make less vitamin D in their skin.
What’s more, people who live farther from the equator may not produce any vitamin D from the sun for up to six months a year during the winter months.
For example, people who live in Boston, USA and Edmonton, Canada struggle to make any vitamin D from sunlight between the months of November and February (13Trusted Source).
People in Norway cannot make vitamin D from sunlight between October and March (14Trusted Source).
During this time of year, it’s important that they get their vitamin D from foods and supplements instead.

4. Some scientists recommend exposing around a third of the area of your skin to the sun (5Trusted Source).
According to this recommendation, wearing a tank top and shorts for 10–30 minutes three times per week during the summer should be sufficient for most people with lighter skin. People with darker skin may need a bit longer than this.
Just make sure to prevent burning if you’re staying in the sun for a long time. Instead, try going without sunscreen for just the first 10–30 minutes, depending on how sensitive your skin is to sunlight, and apply sunscreen before you start burning.
It’s also perfectly fine to wear a hat and sunglasses to protect your face and eyes while exposing other parts of your body. Since the head is a small part of the body, it will only produce a small amount of vitamin D.

Melanie

The association between vitamin D levels and melanoma in humans has been well documented for many years. As has the benefit of dietary and vitamin supplementation. Here are about a zillion articles for those of you who are interested: https://chaoticallypreciselifeloveandmelanoma.blogspot.com/search?q=vitamin+d
Wishing you all my best. Celeste