Worried about getting melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer? New research shows that women who take vitamin A have a lower risk.  

In the June 2012 issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, researchers reported that women who take large doses of vitamin A have a 73 percent lower risk of getting melanoma than women who don’t supplement with the vitamin. However, the same was not true for men. 

The researchers analyzed data collected from the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) cohort study, which tracked the vitamin and supplement intake of 69,635 adults living in 13 counties in Washington state for an average of almost six years. Health data on the participants was also compiled, allowing scientists to analyze the impact of vitamin intake on overall health.

Previous studies show that vitamin A controls cell growth and cancer formation, and has been shown to stop melanoma progression in test tubes.  In this latest study, the researchers found that the vitamin A in food or in beta-carotene supplements didn’t lower melanoma risk, nor did the low doses of vitamin A found in most multivitamins. The anti-melanoma benefit was only found in women taking vitamin A in retinol form at doses greater than 4,000 IU a /day. 

The government-recommended vitamin A (retinol) intake for adults is about 3,000 IU a day. While high doses of the vitamin can be unhealthy, those doses are substantially more than the amount used in this study—25,000 IU. Healthcare professionals say to lower melanoma risk, consider taking 5,000 to 10,000 IU of vitamin A per day, particularly if members of your family have been diagnosed with melanoma, if you have fair skin or red hair, or if you have a history of multiple, severe sunburns.