Startling Skin Cancer Threats

IT’S NO SECRET that having fair, freckled skin and light-colored eyes may make you more susceptible to skin cancer.

- Karyn Repinski

But these less expected actions could also boost your odds nof contracting the disease, which strikes one out of every five people.

YOU START YOUR DAY WITH OJ

Some sour news for citrus lovers: People who consumed citrus, like orange juice or a grapefruit, at least once a day had a 36 percent higher skin cancer risk compared with those who consumed citrus fewer than two times a week, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, which followed more than 100,000 adults for 25 years. Citrus foods contain compounds that make skin more photosensitive. But there’s no need to reduce your intake, says lead researcher Abrar Qureshi, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Dermatology at Brown University, U.S., medical school—just reduce your sun exposure, especially in the few hours after eating citrus.

YOU TAKE VIAGRA

Men who used the drug were 84 percent more likely to develop melanoma over a period of ten years in one