Women with fair phenotypes seem to confer a survival advantage in a low UV milieu. A nested matched case control study.
BACKGROUND:Sun exposure in combination with skin pigmentation is the main determinant for vitamin D status. Human skin color seems to be adapted and optimized for regional sun ultraviolet (UV) intensity. However, we do not know if fair, UV-sensitive skin is a survival advantage in regions with low U...
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doaj-cb5a0c6fd44d45f489f34836a5d2a7ac2021-03-03T21:26:43ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032020-01-01151e022858210.1371/journal.pone.0228582Women with fair phenotypes seem to confer a survival advantage in a low UV milieu. A nested matched case control study.Pelle G LindqvistElisabeth EpsteinMona Landin-OlssonMåns ÅkerlundHåkan OlssonBACKGROUND:Sun exposure in combination with skin pigmentation is the main determinant for vitamin D status. Human skin color seems to be adapted and optimized for regional sun ultraviolet (UV) intensity. However, we do not know if fair, UV-sensitive skin is a survival advantage in regions with low UV radiation. METHODS:A population-based nested case-control study of 29,518 Caucasian women, ages 25 to 64 years from Southern Sweden who responded to a questionnaire regarding risk-factors for malignant melanoma in 1990 and followed for 25 years. For each fair woman, defined as having red hair or freckles (n = 11,993), a control was randomly selected from all non-fair women from within the cohort of similar age, smoking habits, education, marital status, income, and comorbidity, i.e., 11,993 pairs. The main outcome was the difference in all-cause mortality between fair and non-fair women in a low UV milieu, defined as living in Sweden and having low-to-moderate sun exposure habits. Secondary outcomes were mortality by sun exposure, and among those non-overweight. RESULTS:In a low UV milieu, fair women were at a significantly lower all-cause mortality risk as compared to non-fair women (log rank test p = 0.04) with an 8% lower all-cause mortality rate (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.92, 95% CI 0.84‒1.0), including a 59% greater risk of dying from skin cancer among fair women (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.26‒2.0). Thus, it seem that the beneficial health effect from low skin coloration outweigh the risk of skin cancer at high latitudes. CONCLUSION:In a region with low UV milieu, evolution seems to improve all-cause survival by selecting a fair skin phenotype, i.e., comprising fair women with a survival advantage.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228582 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Pelle G Lindqvist Elisabeth Epstein Mona Landin-Olsson Måns Åkerlund Håkan Olsson |
spellingShingle |
Pelle G Lindqvist Elisabeth Epstein Mona Landin-Olsson Måns Åkerlund Håkan Olsson Women with fair phenotypes seem to confer a survival advantage in a low UV milieu. A nested matched case control study. PLoS ONE |
author_facet |
Pelle G Lindqvist Elisabeth Epstein Mona Landin-Olsson Måns Åkerlund Håkan Olsson |
author_sort |
Pelle G Lindqvist |
title |
Women with fair phenotypes seem to confer a survival advantage in a low UV milieu. A nested matched case control study. |
title_short |
Women with fair phenotypes seem to confer a survival advantage in a low UV milieu. A nested matched case control study. |
title_full |
Women with fair phenotypes seem to confer a survival advantage in a low UV milieu. A nested matched case control study. |
title_fullStr |
Women with fair phenotypes seem to confer a survival advantage in a low UV milieu. A nested matched case control study. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Women with fair phenotypes seem to confer a survival advantage in a low UV milieu. A nested matched case control study. |
title_sort |
women with fair phenotypes seem to confer a survival advantage in a low uv milieu. a nested matched case control study. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS ONE |
issn |
1932-6203 |
publishDate |
2020-01-01 |
description |
BACKGROUND:Sun exposure in combination with skin pigmentation is the main determinant for vitamin D status. Human skin color seems to be adapted and optimized for regional sun ultraviolet (UV) intensity. However, we do not know if fair, UV-sensitive skin is a survival advantage in regions with low UV radiation. METHODS:A population-based nested case-control study of 29,518 Caucasian women, ages 25 to 64 years from Southern Sweden who responded to a questionnaire regarding risk-factors for malignant melanoma in 1990 and followed for 25 years. For each fair woman, defined as having red hair or freckles (n = 11,993), a control was randomly selected from all non-fair women from within the cohort of similar age, smoking habits, education, marital status, income, and comorbidity, i.e., 11,993 pairs. The main outcome was the difference in all-cause mortality between fair and non-fair women in a low UV milieu, defined as living in Sweden and having low-to-moderate sun exposure habits. Secondary outcomes were mortality by sun exposure, and among those non-overweight. RESULTS:In a low UV milieu, fair women were at a significantly lower all-cause mortality risk as compared to non-fair women (log rank test p = 0.04) with an 8% lower all-cause mortality rate (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.92, 95% CI 0.84‒1.0), including a 59% greater risk of dying from skin cancer among fair women (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.26‒2.0). Thus, it seem that the beneficial health effect from low skin coloration outweigh the risk of skin cancer at high latitudes. CONCLUSION:In a region with low UV milieu, evolution seems to improve all-cause survival by selecting a fair skin phenotype, i.e., comprising fair women with a survival advantage. |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228582 |
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