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Re: Health effects of sunlight ...
When it comes to sunlight the key is vigilant moderation. Sunlight contains both UVA and UVB. According to current understanding, UVA has little redeeming value. It is carcinogenic and the less of it one is exposed to the better. For that reason it is disturbing that UVA is primary spectrum produced by tanning lamps. UVB, on the other hand, is beneficial to health up to a point. 10 to 20 minutes of UVB exposure per day WITHOUT SUNSCREEN increases vitamin D levels dramatically and may even be anti-carcinogenic. The key here is the 10-20 minute part. (Also, this can only happen in the summer, since winter in northern latitudes produces almost exclusively harmful UVA and little or no UVB.) After this brief period, vitamin D production stops and the remaining UVB exposure becomes damaging and carcinogenic. So on one side we have people avoiding the sun altogether which is NOT healthy. On the other side we have people either getting the wrong kind of UV exposure or way too much and that is not healthy either. I try to control my UV exposure by getting my carefully timed healthy allotment (artificially in the winter) and then covering up when I can't control the time frame. Understanding HOW UV light effects our health is more important than simply always avoiding or blindly indulging in UV exposure.
Posted by: George Mitchell   Posted on: 05/22/09 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Re: Health effects of sunlight ...  George Mitchell | 05/22/09

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