Doctor not sunny on tanning chief's claim to cut risk

CHAMPAIGN – Looking to reduce your risk of getting breast cancer?

Some new billboards in Champaign-Urbana say it can be done by soaking up more sun or visiting a tanning salon.

But a local doctor said there are more legitimate, better ways to cut your risk.

Decorated with the international pink-ribbon symbol for breast cancer awareness, the billboards state: "Vitamin D from the sun and tanning beds can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 75 percent."

But, "the American Cancer Association doesn't have any recommendation that we sunbathe," said Dr. Patricia Johnson, a Carle Clinic oncologist.

Women who want to minimize their breast-cancer risk can maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly and limit alcohol consumption, she advised. And some women at higher risk can also consider taking the preventive drugs Tamoxifen and Raloxifen, she said.

"All those things are a lot more legitimate than lying in a tanning bed," Johnson said.

Don Kermath, president of Classic Tan, said he thinks doctors are wrong when they warn patients to avoid the sun and indoor tanning.

Never let yourself get a sunburn, he said, but "we believe that moderate tanning, for those who can tan, is the smartest way to both maximize the potential benefits and minimize the potential risks of either too much or too little sunlight."

Kermath said he blames doctors swayed by the "sun scare" industry for vitamin D deficiencies, and said one study suggests the projected increase in skin cancer from increased sun exposure is dwarfed by the number of lives that could be saved by higher vitamin D blood levels.

Important for calcium absorption and bone health, vitamin D is produced when the skin is exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. It's also found naturally in a handful of foods, such as tuna fish, salmon, eggs and beef liver, and is added to milk and some cereals, yogurt and orange juice products, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health.

Kermath and the Indoor Tanning Association say it's impossible to get sufficient Vitamin D by eating and drinking those foods and beverages, but sunlight can help the body manufacture enough.

The Office of Dietary Supplements contends most people get enough vitamin D from the sun, and further research is needed to determine whether a vitamin D deficiency increases cancer risk and whether greater exposure to vitamin D offers protection.

Meanwhile, the Skin Cancer Foundation earlier this year increased its recommendation of vitamin D intake for adults with limited sun exposure from 400 to 1,000 international units a day to help alleviate deficiency concerns. But the organization warns UV radiation is a proven cause of cancer, and the safest way to get more vitamin D is through a combination of diet and supplements.

A new study also suggests people with breast cancer are at a higher risk for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and that melanoma patients have a higher risk of getting breast cancer, according to the foundation.

Johnson says women can get enough vitamin D by taking a couple of calcium-plus-vitamin D supplement pills a day. It's a lot easier to measure how much vitamin D you're getting, she said, and avoids the skin cancer risk of tanning.

One more thing, Johnson says: Early detection of breast cancer through annual screenings is succeeding in catching more breast cancer when it's in early, treatable stages. So get those annual mammograms, she urges women.

"It's not just something I read about," she says. "I see it in my practice very day."

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