What the sun has to teach us about cancer prevention is starting to sound like simple common sense -- excess and
extreme of any kind is unhealthy. Sun worshippers who spend hours in the hot summer sun are at significant risk for
skin cancer. People who spend most of their time indoors because of lifestyle or choice, are at greater risk of
developing a number of diseases from the lack of sun exposure, including cancer. According to the Australasian College of Dermatologists and the Cancer Council Australia, UVB exposure in small amounts is essential to good health, as UVB exposure is how the body manufactures vitamin D. In the summer as little as five minutes a day exposure to face, arms, and hands will provide the necessary sun exposure needed. In winter, when UVB rays are weakest, an accumulated exposure of two to three hours a week is needed. Even with that, we need to keep in mind that as we age our body loses the ability to synthesize vitamin D the way it did when we were younger, and vitamin D supplementation in capsule form is recommended. Other sources of Vitamin D include fish-liver oils, egg yolk, fortified milk, bread and cereals. The Australasian College of Dermatologists and the Cancer Council Australia Risks and Benefits of Sun Exposure report is available as a PDF document. So, do what your mother told you to do when you were young -- go out and get some fresh air and sunshine -- just not as much when UVB rays are the strongest.
