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The Positive Effects of Tanning
Recent research and publications have given a different outlook to the effects of tanning. Many doctors and medical professionals are no longer warning people to stay out of the sun. The new message is to get your essential vitamin D from UV exposure. It is a fact that when ultraviolet light touches your skin it causes your body to naturally produce vitamin D. Vitamin D has been linked to treat and/or prevent many diseases and conditions.
For example, Dr. Holick Professor of Medicine, Dermatology, Physiology, and Biophysics at the Boston University Medical Center has found substantial evidence that the Vitamin D you get from tanning can help with the following diseases and conditions:
- Breast Cancer
- Colon Cancer
- Depression (Nonseasonal)
- Fybromyalgia
- High Blood Pressure
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Osteomalacia
- Osteoporosis
- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- Prostate Cancer
- Psoriasis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
For more information about Dr. Holick and his amazing discoveries please look for his new breakthrough book The UV Advantage at your local bookstore (or online bookstore) or at Ashley Lynn's Tanning. Another credible source of information about the positive effects of UV exposure is Dr. Joseph Mercola, DO (Osteopathic Physician) and Chairman of Family Medicine at St. Alexius Medical Center of Illinois.
Q. and A.
Q. Is moderate exposure to the sun or ultraviolet (UV) light good for your health?
Absolutely. There is a mountain of well conducted, validated science that demonstrates that the production of the activated form of vitamin D is one of the most effective ways the body controls abnormal cell growth. Moderate exposure to sunlight is the only way for the body manufacture the vitamin D which is necessary for the body to produce activated vitamin D.
Q. How much vitamin D do you need?
A 1997 report by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine recommends 200 IU/day of vitamin D for women aged 50 years or younger, 400 IU/day for those aged 51-70 and 600 IU/day for those older than 70 years. In fact, leading experts in the field believe these recommendations are totally inadequate to protect public health. There is no question that the country faces a severe vitamin D deficiency epidemic. New science strongly supports changing the current recommendation to 1000 IU/day for adults.
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Q. What is the best way to help the body produce the activated form of vitamin D?
Moderate exposure to sunlight is the only way to help the body manufacture the vitamin D it needs. While eating salmon or mackerel and drinking fortified milk or juices is a step in the right direction, it is practically impossible to consume enough of these products every day to meet dietary needs. For example, one would have to consume ten glasses a day of fortified juices or milk every day of the year to meet nutritional requirements.
Q. Why can't I just take supplements to get my vitamin D?
It is possible for you to take vitamin D supplements to get your daily amount of vitamin D, but you must be cautious when taking these supplements. You can overdose on vitamin D from supplements. If you get too much vitamin D in supplement form it is possible for your body to have a toxic or overdose effect. In this overdose effect, symptoms could include nausea, vomiting, and could possibly lead to kidney stones or kidney damage, muscle weakness, or excessive bleeding. The good news is that you can't overdose on the vitamin D manufactured by your skin when you tan. Sunlight causes your body to naturally produce vitamin D.
Q. How does the skin make vitamin D and what limits its production?
Sun or UV light is the fuel that permits the body to manufacture vitamin D. But the amount of vitamin D formed in a given period of exposure depends on the color of your skin - that is, how rich the skin is in melanin. Melanin absorbs UV radiation therefore it diminishes the production of vitamin D.
The darker a person's skin, the longer he or she has to be in sun or exposed to UVB radiation to form a significant amount of vitamin D. Like melanin, sunscreen also absorbs UV radiation and therefore greatly diminishes vitamin D production by the skin. For example, a sunscreen with a SPF of 8 reduces vitamin D production by 97.5% and SPF of 15 reduces it by 99.9%. Also, in the winter it is difficult to get vitamin D from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere especially in higher latitudes. Therefore, in much of the United States the winter sunlight does not have enough UVB radiation to produce vitamin D in the skin.
This is one reason most Americans are at risk for vitamin D deficiency, especially in the winter. Vitamin D deficiency is an issue for all Americans not just those with darker skin. Indoor tanning is an excellent way to maintain appropriate vitamin D levels in the body. A national study showed that 42% of African-American women ages 15 to 49 were deficient in vitamin D by the end of winter. In addition, a recent study of young Caucasian women ages 9-11 in Maine found 48% were vitamin D deficient at the end of the winter.
Q. Is moderate exposure to UVB radiation associated with decreased rates of cancer and other diseases?
Yes. According to the world's leading expert in the field, Dr. Michael F. Holick, a professor of medicine, dermatology, physiology and biophysics at the Boston University School of Medicine, relatively brief exposure to sunshine or its equivalent several times a week in tanning beds can help to ward off a host of debilitating and sometimes deadly diseases, including osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, depression, and cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, uterus, kidney, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. For more information about this topic please see above links.
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Q. How do the "risks and benefits" of, moderate UV exposure weigh out?
The protective benefits of UV exposure are undeniable. Warnings about limited and sensible exposure to the sun or UV radiation are greatly exaggerated. Responsible and moderate UV exposure protects your skin against sunburn. According to Dr. Holick, the benefits of UV exposure far outweigh the easily minimized risks. See the list above for some of the diseases and conditions UV exposure helps.
Several researchers, most notably Dr. William Grant have published peer-reviewed articles that demonstrate, that in America, for example, increased sun exposure would result in 185,000 fewer cases of internal cancer and 30,000 fewer deaths from cancer of the breast, ovaries, colon, prostate, bladder, uterus, esophagus, rectum and stomach. By comparison, about 7500 die each year from skin cancer.
Q. What is moderate exposure?
Moderate exposure is the most responsible way to maximize the potential benefits of sun or UV exposure while minimizing the potential risks associated with either too much or too little sunlight. Avoiding sunburns is a critical to moderation. Painful sunburns before the age of 20, not lifetime sun exposure, is associated with an increased risk of malignant melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.
According to Holick, optimal sunlight exposure time-and, in turn, optimal vitamin D production-will vary according to skin color, location, and time of year. African-American, Hispanics and people with a Mediterranean heritage require more. Blue-eyed, red heads from northern Europe need far less. The one basic rule that applies to everyone is avoiding sun burn. It is the burning of the skin and chronic excessive exposures along with heredity and a diet high in fat, not the limited sensible exposure to ultraviolet light or sunlight, that creates the concern about skin cancer.
Q. What are the risks of overexposure to UV exposure?
Overexposure to UV light, particularly when it results in burns, may increase the risk of skin cancer. About 1 million new skin cancer cases are likely to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year. Older men are the most at risk. There are three basic types of skin cancer: basal cell, squamous cell, and melanoma. The first two could be caused by overexposure to UV light, but are very treatable. The third, melanoma, is the most-serious health threat and moderate sun-exposure - of the type in a non-burning fashion - does not seem to be a risk factor.
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Q. What is melanoma?
Melanoma is a cancer of the pigment producing cells (melanocytes). There has been an association with increase risk of melanoma if you have moles or repeated sunburn experiences as a child or young adult. Most melanomas occur on parts of the body that have not been exposed to sunlight. For example, melanoma is frequently found in areas that are not exposed to sunlight. This fact, among others, has led many doctors to the conclusion that moderate sun exposure (non-burning sun exposure) is not responsible for melanoma skin cancer.
Although melanoma comprises only 10% of all skin cancers, melanomas are responsible for 85% of all skin cancer deaths.
Q. Is melanoma associated with UV exposure from tanning beds?
No. To date, no well-designed studies support the connection between melanoma and UV exposure from tanning beds.
The relationship between melanoma and UV light exposure is complex. For example, melanoma is more common in people who work indoors than in those who work outdoors, and those who work both indoors and outdoors develop the fewest melanomas. Further, melanoma most commonly appears on parts of the body that do not receive regular exposure to UV light.
Q. Who regulates the indoor tanning industry?
The FDA provides extensive regulation of the indoor tanning industry. FDA regulations require each device to bear detailed consumer information to avoid overexposure. The label displays a recommended exposure schedule for skin types II-V. The label warns that certain medications or cosmetics may increase sensitivity to UV light. Those regulations can be found at 21CFR 1040.20.
Visit tanningtruth.com for more information on tanning and the positive effects of sunshine and vitamin D.
Sources:
Holick MF. The UV Advantage. 1st ed. United States, 2003.
Malabanan AO, Holick MF. vitamin D and bone health in postmenopausal women. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2003 Mar12 (2):151-6.
Clemens TL, Adams JS, Henderson SL, Holick MF. Increased skin pigment reduces the capacity of skin to synthesize vitamin D3. Lancet. 1982 Jan 9; 1 (8263):74-6.
Nesby-O'Dell S, Scanlon KS, Cogswell ME, et al. Hypovitaminosis D prevalence and determinants among African
American and white women of reproductive age: third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Jul;76(1):187-92.
Brody, J. A Second Opinion on Sunshine: It Can Be Good Medicine After All. The New York Times. June 17, 2003.
Grant WB. Ecologic studies of solar UV-B radiation and cancer mortality rates. Recent Results Cancer Res. 2003;164:371-7.
Grant WB. An estimate of premature cancer mortality in the U.S. due to inadequate doses of solar ultraviolet-B radiation. Cancer. 2002 Mar 15;94(6):1867-75.
van der Mei IA, Ponsonby AL, Dwyer T, et al. Past exposure to sun, skin phenotype, and risk of multiple sclerosis: case-control study. BMJ. 2003 Aug 9;327(7410):316.
Indoor Tanning Association, Inc., P.O. Box 4001 - Jackson, MI 49204
Phone: 888-377-0477 - Fax: 517-784-4006
©2002 Indoor Tanning Association, Inc.
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