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An inexpensive vitamin B₃ product, widely available over the counter, has been shown to reduce significantly the risk of developing skin cancers in high risk patients.

This vitamin supplement B3 ( nicotinomide) 500 mg is taken twice daily is a safe and inexpensive addition to our recommendations for the prevention of basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma.

Nonmelanoma skin cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and affects 1 in 5 Americans.

The results of the recent study conducted in Australian showed that people who took nicotinamide 500 mg twice daily for 1 year showed a 23% reduction in new diagnoses of nonmelanoma skin cancer, compared with those who took a placebo. Specifically, new diagnoses of basal cell carcinoma were reduced by 20%, squamous cell carcinoma by 30%, and actinic keratoses by 13%.

We have a remarkably simple and inexpensive way to help people avoid repeat diagnosis of some of the most common skin cancers.

“With this study, we have a remarkably simple and inexpensive way to help people avoid repeat diagnosis of some of the most common skin cancers,” commented Peter Yu, MD, who is director of cancer research at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Mountain View and Sunnyvale, California. During the press briefing, he described this research as a “major advance” in prevention. In the United States, about 5 million people each year are diagnosed with nonmelanoma skin cancer.