According to a study by US scientists, men who work outdoors and therefore have more exposure to sunlight are less likely to develop kidney cancer than men who work indoors. No similar relationship was observed in women.
The research was published in the journal Cancer.
According to the authors of the study, the relationship they discovered may be related to the fact that the production of vitamin D in the skin increases with sun exposure. However, recent studies show that this compound may prevent certain cancers. As you know, vitamin D is metabolized in the kidneys, where its active form is formed.
Researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville (Maryland) conducted a study among 1 patients with kidney cancer and 097 healthy people from four countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Data on their previous professional experience and other demographic data were collected. Sun exposure in the workplace was assessed on the basis of the current occupation.
They found that the more men were in contact with sunlight, the less they were exposed to kidney cancer. The risk drop was from 24 to 38 percent.
However, scientists cannot explain why a similar relationship was not observed in women. Perhaps, they speculate, biological or gender differences may play a role – for example, sex hormones may influence the body’s response to the sun’s rays, women may also use sunscreen more regularly, and men working outside may take off their shirts more frequently, exposing them to the sun. therefore more body surface to the sun’s rays.
In addition, the analysis did not include information on the exposure of the respondents to sunlight outside work, e.g. during recreation, which could have distorted the final results. (PAP)