Sunlight

As regular readers know, I keep this blog quite focused on math. But today I thought of veering a little. This post is mostly about sunlight and not so much about math.

After all, it's summertime!
But I will try to include some numbers :)



Why? Because I just feel for all the people who have been mis-educated along these lines in the past. Warning people to stay out of sunlight does MUCH MORE HARM than good.

It is now a well established fact that sunlight prevents cancer - most probably via multiple mechanisms, but vitamin D is appearing as the main one.

In fact, it has been estimated that Vitamin D deficiency is associated with more than 100,000 additional cases of cancer and 30,000 annual cancer deaths. The epidemic extends beyond cancer to Type I diabetes, heart disease and other chronic adult disease.

Just think, many things are done in order to prevent deaths. For example, people are told to wear seat belts, or not do this or that. You often see in news articles cited, "...400 lives could be saved if...", or 1,000, or whatever. But 30,000 lives could be saved yearly if people got enough sunlight!!! And estimated 100,000 cancer cases would be prevented yearly!!

Those are quite big numbers.

And it's not only cancer that's prevented by sunlight:

... study in Finland found that proper levels of vitamin D actually reduce the occurrence of Type 1 diabetes in children by about 80%.

Every body needs sunlight and vitamin D. Deficiency or insufficiency has been associated with:

* adrenal insufficiency
* Alzheimer's
* allergies
* autoimmune disorders including multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis
* cancers of the colon, breast, skin and prostate
* depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
* diabetes, Type 1 and 2
* gluten intolerance, lectin intolerance
* heart disease, hypertension, Syndrome X
* infertility, sexual dysfunction
* learning and behavior disorders
* misaligned teeth and cavities
* myopia
* obesity
* osteopenia, osteoporosis, osteomalacia (adult rickets)
* Parkinson's
* PMS
* psoriasis
* rickets
* use of corticosteroids and more...

SunlightAndVitaminD.com

Besides all that, sunlight just feels so good!


But what about skin cancer?

The newest research has found that sunlight can also be preventive of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer! This is very interesting. For example, melanoma is more common in inside workers than in outside workers. It seems to be associated with occasional sun exposure, sunburn, etc. and not so much with regular sun exposure:

For example, persons with the greatest risk of melanoma are not those with the greatest cumulative solar exposure; the anatomic areas that receive the most solar exposure are not preferentially affected; and not all light-skinned people suffer the same - albino Africans who have no pigmentation, are more likely to get sunburn and a number of other skin complaints as a result of exposure to the sun, but they don't get melanomas.
Sunlight, Skin Cancers and Vitamin D by Barry Groves

Sun exposure IS a risk factor for the other forms of skin cancer - those that are usually easy to treat. And, deaths from these types of cancers are far less than deaths from those cancers that vitamin D could prevent.

But then there is also evidence that diet is at fault even with skin cancer. It is appearing that too much omega-6 fats in the diet versus omega-3 fats is the culprit: In 2001, the National Academy of Sciences published a comprehensive review showing that the omega-3:6 ratio was the key to preventing skin cancer development.

Most Americans get WAY too much omega-6 fats and very little lomega-3 fats, and so the ratio of omega-6 to omega 3 is way off.

And what about skin damage and aging?

That's very true - but again it is largely preventable if your diet has lots of antioxidants and you are careful not to burn.


So the plan would go as this:
* Get sun exposure, but build up slowly so you don't burn.
* Avoid using sunscreens. After all, they prevent vitamin D formation. They also contain dangerous chemicals that are absorbed into the skin. Clothing is a safer sunscreen, while a good base tan is the best.
* Eat a diet rich in antioxidants. Might even help to take supplements on those days you sun.
* Don't consume too much omega-6 oils and margarine.
* Do consume omega-3 fats.


Note: I know many of my readers are female. Women need extra vitamin D during pregnancy and lactation because it affects calcium absorption, and deficiency makes the child softer-boned. And, obviously vitamin D deficiency is a major factor in osteoporosis in the elderly.

There are lots of internet articles and websites on the topics of sunlight, vitamin D, cancer, melanoma, and such. Here are some. You can easily find more.



Sunlight emerging as proven treatment for breast cancer, prostate cancer and other cancers


Sunlight, Skin Cancers and Vitamin D

Warning people to avoid sunshine causes more harm than good; lack of sunshine responsible for many diseases, says research


Does Sunshine Really Cause Skin Cancer?

Skin Biology Aging Reversal. Chapter 9.1 More Healthy Suntanning


http://www.greatestherbsonearth.com/articles/cancer_sunlight.htm

The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D: an exclusive interview with Dr. Michael Holick - a free download of an ebook.

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(So where do you get omega-3 fats? In fish, fish oils, cod liver oil, flax seed, flax oil, walnuts. Also in tiny tiny amounts in green leafy veggies. If the animal you eat lived on grass, then the animal's meat has omega-3s too, such as grass-fed beef or all wild game. Eggs can have omega-3s, depending on what the chickens ate.)

(And where are omega-6 fats lurking? Just about everything else: sunflower oil, corn oil, and other seed oils, meats from grain-fattened animals, margarine, and all processed food made with these. But we need some omega-6 fats too. It's the ratio of the two that's important.)