Is Sunshine Good?

[Dr. Shane]

Scientists Say Sunshine May Prevent Cancer

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dermatologists and health agencies have long preached that such lotions are needed to prevent skin cancer. Now some scientists are questioning that advice. The reason is that vitamin D increasingly seems important for preventing and even treating many types of cancer.

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So the thinking is this: Even if too much sun leads to skin cancer, which is rarely deadly, too little sun may be worse.

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Jeff Wehr once told me that skin cancer is rate in those that follow a low-fat diet.

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Vitamin D gets trapped in fat, so obese people have lower blood levels of D. They also have higher rates of cancer.

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I am advocating common sense," not prolonged sunbathing or tanning salons, Holick said.

Skin cancer is rarely fatal, he notes. The most deadly form, melanoma, accounts for only 7,770 of the 570,280 cancer deaths expected to occur in the United States this year.

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[Nan]

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So the thinking is this: Even if too much sun leads to skin cancer, which is rarely deadly, too little sun may be worse.

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Shane the answer to this question will depend on where you live. One form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, is extremely deadly and Australia has one of the highest rates in the world.

Certainly we need Vitamin D, and I have seen cases of Vitamin D deficiency in this country. Some of the Muslim ladies who keep themselves fully robed rarely get exposed to the sun.

Getting sunburnt is not desirable, getting adequate exposure to the sun in the early and later parts of the day is wise. The closer to the equator one lives, the more important this advice.

[Pockey]

Moderation is the key.

[cricket]

Dr. Agatha Thrash once said to me that only 5 minutes a day of sun exposure is needed. One only need to have their hands and face exposed during this time to get enough daily vitamin D.