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# Curcumin helps prevent skin cancer
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/curcumin_helps_prevent_skin_cancer_1002120647/
- Published: 2012-10-02T19:47:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T15:55:29.000Z
- Description: Mice pre-treated with oral or topical curcumin for 14 days before repeated UVB exposure developed significantly fewer skin tumors and took longer to develop them, though tumor size was unchanged. The authors say human studies are needed.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Herbs, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

By Jimmy Downs

Tuesday Oct 02, 2012 ([foodconsumer.org](http://www.foodconsumer.org/)) -- Skin cancer is on the rise while more and more people start using sunscreens to prevent the disease. A new study in Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery suggests that taking curcumin supplements or use it as a spice in your dishes may lower your risk of skin cancer.

The animal study led by Jeffrey Phillips, MD and colleagues found that curcumin may help prevent skin damage in mice induced by UVB rays, which is recognized as a carcinogen.

Early studies, according to the researchers, curcumin, a naturally occurring food ingredient found in turmeric or curry commonly used in Indian cuisine is able to inhibit cutaneous squamous cell carcinomma (a type of skin cancer) xenograft growth.

In the current study, SKH-1 mice were pre-treated with either oral or topical curcumin for 14 days. Then mice were exposed to ultravilet B radiation three times a week for 24 weeks,

It was found that the induction time to tumor onset was shorter in control mice that were exposed to UVB rays, but not receive curcumin, compared to those receiving either oral or topical curcumin.

Curcumin receivers had developed significantly fewer tumors, compared to those that did not receive the supplement. And among those developing skin cancer though, the average size of the tumors was the same in both groups of mice, curcumin receivers or non-curcumin receivers.

The researchers concluded "Curcumin appears to inhibit skin cancer formation and prolong time to tumor onset when administered by either an oral or topical route."

"These data suggest that curcumin may have chemopreventive potential against skin cancer necessitating future experimentation with human subjects."

In most cases, skin cancer is not lethal. Only a small proportion of skin cancer cases such as those of melanoma skin cancer are aggressive and pose a life-threatening risk.

Using sunscreens to avoid sun exposure can increase risk of vitamin D deficiency, which can be the cause of multiple more serious cancers such as breast cancer and melanoma, the most lethal skin cancer.