You've Been Lied To About The Sun!
The sun one of the greatest natural medicines known to mankind. Perhaps no other substance affects human health as substantially as its natural vitamin D. Your body converts it into a hormone (calcitriol) that can affect more than 1,200 genes, positively impacting more than 100 diseases, including over 30 types of cancers and 90 other serious health problems.
The sun is a key element to all life on planet earth, but if you’ve been warned to curb all exposure, perhaps that advice is not in your best interest. Doing so can dramatically affect the quality of your life!
Lack Of Sun Exposure
Sunshine has always been linked to an inordinate fear of increased cancer rates by experts, yet by the early 2000s, research began to suggest the opposite; that vitamin D from the sun might just lower rates of many types of cancers. People regularly exposed to daily sun have a lower risk of getting burned, of getting melanoma and have a higher survival rate if they do.
Our skin for thousands of years, has been exposed to the sun, where a tan naturally comes and goes, growing darker with summer as the UV index intensifies, then fading with winter light. But in modern office life it’s the opposite. Skin has very little exposure for months on end, and then people recklessly plunge into irregular bouts of excessive sunlight on vacations or long weekends. Of course, without a gradual, consistent exposure, the sudden, intense effect of the sun on the skin now heightens melanoma risk. (1,2, 3)
So what is the best sun exposure? Recurring advice has been to sunbathe only before 10:00 AM and after 2:00 PM during summer and to avoid the midday sun, but in fact, the opposite may be true. You may benefit more by exposing the body to sunlight for a short time at midday, as the sun is more likely to produce UVA-induced melanoma before 10:00 AM and after 2:00 PM.
It also requires 50% more time to produce a given quantity of vitamin D two hours before or after midday than at midday. A short period (20-40 minutes for light-skinned persons) will produce all the vitamin D that the body can make in one day, with 2 hours of exposure still being deemed healthy. [Webb, A et al. Calculated ultraviolet exposure for a healthy vitamin D status. Photochem Photobiol 2006;82:1697-1703]
Sunscreen is also a double edged sword as it may cause you to overexpose your skin to UVA light and thus make you more susceptible to melanoma.
Personally I spend time outdoors without a sunblock, because these chemicals screen out ultraviolet light, interfering with vitamin D production in the body. But I do with moderate exposure as the best way of getting my vitamin D.
Dermatology + Conflicts of Interest
Paranoid dermatologists have spread a phobia of sun exposure. The American Cancer Society says the likelihood of succumbing to skin cancer in the United States is approximately 1 in 400. While these statistics are well known, experts also point to the massive benefits of proper sun exposure on blood pressure and cardiovascular health. With the risk of mortality from heart disease and stroke being on average, 800% greater than that of skin cancer, some are questioning if the lack of time spent in the sun could be contributing to the rise in cardiovascular-related deaths.
Your dermatologists refuse to tell you that for three reasons:
Cosmetic Dermatology lobbying groups make money off skin cancer fear and treatments. They also benefit as sunscreen companies pay for endorsements to dermatology organizations and foundations. This raises questions about the influence of industry funding on their sun protection stance.
Pharmaceutical corporations who market skin-care products. Key players in the cosmetics skincare products market include Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal Groupe, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., Shiseido Co., Limited, Amorepacific, Beiersdorf, Kanebo Cosmetics Inc., Avon Products, Inc., Lotus Herbals Pvt. Ltd., VLCC Health Care Limited, and Himalaya Global Holdings Ltd.
Beauty magazines whose editorial is highly tied-in with advertising. Their health care messages are all carefully crafted to maximize their value to big-money advertisers.
What a shame that public health messages shine the light on singular diseases when they should examine evidence based on all-cause mortality. We fixate on skin cancer while ignoring the far greater cost to health of sun avoidance.
Sunscreen Lies
Cosmetic dermatology lobbying groups tell the public that diet and supplements are the best way to make vitamin D — ignoring the fact that for thousands of years, man has successfully made vitamin D from regular sunlight exposure.
Dermatology groups lie because they’re paid handsomely by chemical sunscreen manufacturers to promote an anti-sun message. This increases sunscreen sales but also causes a massive spike in vitamin D deficiency.
A standard line of the industry is that no part of your skin should ever be exposed to unprotected sun. Gary Marder, medical director of the Skin Cancer Center in Okeechobee, FL, and a spokesperson for the Skin Cancer Foundation says you need to make sure all of your exposed body parts are either covered with clothing or coated in a broad-spectrum sunscreen.
To make absolutely sure, we’re also told that sunscreen must be reapplied every 75 minutes, whether in summer, winter, cloudy or rainy rainy days and even if you’re near a window or in your vehicle.
This type of advice is fraudulent misbranding of a product that is harmful and does not work as intended. Consider:
Sunscreen does not prevent melanoma, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. In their words:
“The evidence is insufficient to recommend sunscreens for the prevention of skin cancer.”
The Environmental Working Group reports that certain sunscreen chemicals, when exposed to sunlight, release free radicals that have the potential to harm DNA and cells, accelerate skin aging, and potentially elevate risk of skin cancer.
A 2008 study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revealed that 97% of Americans have oxybenzone, a common sunscreen ingredient, in their urine. This chemical is associated with various environmental and health concerns.
In 2021, Edgewell Personal Care company recalled their Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Sunscreen due to the presence of benzene. The summer before, several other sunscreens were found to contain various chemicals linked to cancer.
Sunscreen products contain a FURTHER variety of chemical ingredients that have raised concerns, including:
Oxybenzone: Linked to hormone disruption and potential cancer risks.
Octinoxate: Associated with skin allergy or other concerns.
Homosalate: Known for its potential to disrupt hormones.
Octisalate: Has been reported to cause skin allergies.
Octocrylene: Suspected of degrading into benzophenone, a suspected carcinogen that can interfere with hormones and reproductive organs.
Avobenzone: Also linked to hormone disruption.
These ingredients are absorbed into the body after use and can be detected on the skin and in the blood weeks after their last application. The FDA has proposed classifications for some of these ingredients, with only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide being considered safe and effective based on current data.
Despite the preponderance of evidence, the SCF website continues to state:
“For adequate protection against melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancers and photo-aging, everyone over the age of six months should use sunscreen daily year-round, in any weather.”
The Sunlight Institute exposes this fallacy, stating: Products and services designed to protect people from excessive sun exposure are a multi-billion-dollar business group controlled by a small number of large players. What’s significant is that the 10 leading companies account for roughly 63% of total industry sales, and the top five companies represent 46% of sales.
That means there’s more money to be made scaring people out of the sun than there is getting people to enjoy sunshine responsibly. Beware of pharmaceutical claims about sun protection, given the multi-billion-dollar interest these companies have in the sun care market today, whereas their competitor – sunshine – is free.
Supplements
Sunshine is the only natural and intended source of vitamin D on the planet. According to the Sunlight Institute:
Research shows that the natural production of vitamin D through regular sunshine exposure aligns closely with the amount needed to support healthy cell growth in the body.
Dietary supplements are not only an unnatural way to receive vitamin D (as I proved in a previous article), but most pills don’t have the vitamin D claimed on the label.
Those with the most consistent sun exposure have the highest vitamin D levels necessary to reduce your risk of most cancers, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and many other conditions.
The body naturally utilizes the required amount of vitamin D from sun exposure and eliminates any excess, a process that can’t be replicated by dietary vitamin D or supplements. Research also indicates that the vitamin D generated from sun exposure to the skin persists in the bloodstream for a duration that is at least double that of synthetic Vitamin D obtained from dietary supplements.
Dr. Michael Holick says in his latest book, The Vitamin D Solution:
“When you are exposed to sunlight, you make not only vitamin D but also at least five and up to ten additional photoproducts that you would never get from dietary sources or from a supplement. So the obvious question is, why would Nature be making all of these vitamin D photoproducts if they weren’t having a biologic effect?”
In short, generations of humans for thousands of years have been exposed to the sun most of their life and never developed cancer. Perhaps it’s actually the sunscreens that will increase your risk to cancer?
You can find out about this and more important evidence in the book, “Embrace The Sun.” by Marc B. Sorenson, Ed. D. and William B. Grant, Ph.D. It gives information from over 1,200 research papers that show regular sun exposure may prolong your life and reduce your likelihood of disease.
Sources:
1. Bragelien Veierød, M., et al. A prospective study of pigmentation, sun exposure, and risk of cutaneous malignant melanoma in women. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 95, 1530-1538 (2003).
2. Berwick, M., et al. Sun Exposure and Mortality From Melanoma. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 97, 195-199 (2004).
3. Boyle, P. & Lyon, B.L. (editors) World Cancer Report 2008, World Health Organization: International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France (2008).
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