Sun exposure: Soak up the sun - in small doses

Run for your lives! The sun is shining!

That's right - summer's almost here and the time is right for the yearly barrage of misinformation regarding sun exposure.

But wait a second. Whats this? A voice of sanity amid all the dire warnings? Yes, its true, a team of scientists from the UK and Norway has come forward to stand up and scream, Stop the madness!

Well, they didnt actually scream. But thats probably what it would take to get their message across in the mainstream media.

Expose yourself

There seems to be no end to the supply of health experts who appear on television to warn people that they should avoid sun exposure at all costs. This advice is pure nonsense.

As I've said many times, the sun is not our enemy, contrary to what the experts tell us. In fact, sunlight exposure is essential to good health. The key is balance. Too much sun exposure creates problems, while too little creates a different problem: inadequate production of vitamin D.

So, how sun much should you get? A team of scientists from the University of Manchester and the Norwegian Institute of Air Research recently prepared a paper entitled Calculated Ultra Violet Exposure Levels for a Healthy Vitamin D Status. The paper is not yet published, but we can glean some valuable information from a University of Manchester press release.

Researchers calculated the best times for vitamin D production from sun exposure based on computer simulations that assessed worldwide ultraviolet (UV) information. Dr. Ann Webb, the lead author of the study, states in the press release that the ideal time to maximise UV-B exposure is midday when the sun is highest in the sky. (UV-B is the ultraviolet wavelength that prompts the skin to produce vitamin D.)

Possibly anticipating that many dermatologists would howl with disapproval (and they did), Dr. Webb added, You do not need to sunbathe to get your vitamin D...but if you put sunscreen on before you step out of the house you will not reap any health benefits provided naturally by the sun. She emphasised that daily exposure without sunscreen should be brief, no longer than about 10 minutes, depending on the place and the time of year. (If youre in Equador in July, keep exposure brief. But if youre in Scotland in December, not much UV-B is going to get through at all.)

People who are fair skinned or prone to sunburn should spend even less time getting direct exposure.

Going south

A skin cell hormone called 7 dehydrocholesterol is converted into pre-vitamin D when exposed to UV-B radiation. Body heat slowly changes pre-vitamin D into vitamin D, which becomes active after it reaches the liver.

HSI members are by now well aware of the many benefits of vitamin D. In an American study that appeared in a 2002 issue of the journal Cancer, lead author Dr. William B. Grant set out to determine an association between premature deaths from cancer and insufficient UV-B radiation. Comparing UV-B data with cancer mortality rates in the US between 1970 and 1994, Dr. Grant found a clear correlation between low UV-B radiation exposure and mortality due to 13 different types of cancer. These cancers include colon, heart, prostate, pancreatic, stomach, kidney, lung, and other cancers.

More specifically, Dr. Grant found that the rates of these cancers are almost twice as high among those who live in north-eastern states compared to residents of the southwest. He concludes that many lives could be saved by increased careful exposure to solar UV-B radiation. He also recommends supplementation with vitamin D3 (vitamin D from fish liver oils), especially in late autumn and winter.

Send in the repair group

Dr. Grants phrase - careful exposure to solar UV-B radiation - provides a good guideline for most of us. But what about those people who have to spend hours in the sun; lifeguards, builders, etc.? US physician Dr. Jonathan V. Wright discusses below what he calls the DNA Repair Group - the foods and supplements that everyone (and especially those who get a lot of sun exposure) should be consuming in abundance.

Vitamins C and E are very important to relieving stress to the skin. But according to Dr. Wright, folic acid deficiency is a major contributor to skin cancer risk. He says, Folic acid is destroyed rapidly by heat, cold, and exposure to light, including sunlight. So its sunlights destructive effect on folic acid in the skin, not the actual sun exposure itself, which accounts for a significant part of the skin cancer problem. Folic acid (along with vitamin B12 and zinc) is absolutely key to DNA reproduction and repair.

The best dietary sources of folic acid include spinach and other dark green vegetables, brewers yeast, beans, egg yolk, watermelon, whole grains, and liver from organically raised animals. In addition, Dr. Wright suggests supplementing with 1,000 mcg of folic acid per day, and more if you spend a good amount of time in the sun or have a family history of skin cancer.