Sun's blood pressure benefits 'may outdo cancer risks' | BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-22433359

The health benefits of exposing skin to sunlight may far outweigh the risk of developing skin cancer, according to scientists.

Edinburgh University researchers found skin exposed to UV rays
released a compound that lowers blood pressure

Edinburgh University research suggests sunlight helps reduce blood pressure, cutting heart attack and stroke risks and even prolonging life.

UV rays were found to release a compound that lowers blood pressure.

Researchers said more studies would be carried out to determine if it is time to reconsider advice on skin exposure.

Heart disease and stroke linked to high blood pressure are estimated to lead to about 80 times more deaths than those from skin cancer in the UK.

Production of the pressure-reducing compound, nitric oxide, is separate from the body's manufacture of vitamin D, which rises after exposure to sunshine.

Researchers said that until now vitamin D production had been considered the sole benefit of the sun to human health.

During the research, dermatologists studied the blood pressure of 24 volunteers under UV and heat lamps.

In one session, the volunteers were exposed to both UV rays and the heat of the lamps.

In the other, the UV rays were blocked so that only the heat affected the skin.

The results showed that blood pressure dropped significantly for an hour after exposure to UV rays, but not after the heat-only sessions.

Scientists said that this suggested it was the sun's UV rays that brought health benefits.

The volunteers' vitamin D levels remained unaffected in both sessions.
'Reconsider our advice'
Dr Richard Weller, a senior lecturer in dermatology at Edinburgh University, said: "We suspect that the benefits to heart health of sunlight will outweigh the risk of skin cancer.

"The work we have done provides a mechanism that might account for this, and also explains why dietary vitamin D supplements alone will not be able to compensate for lack of sunlight.

"We now plan to look at the relative risks of heart disease and skin cancer in people who have received different amounts of sun exposure.

"If this confirms that sunlight reduces the death rate from all causes, we will need to reconsider our advice on sun exposure."

The study will be presented on Friday in Edinburgh at the world's largest gathering of skin experts. The International Investigative Dermatology conference starts on Wednesday and runs until Saturday.

Sunshine vitamin 'may treat asthma' | BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22570859

The amount of time asthma patients spend soaking up the sun may have an impact on the illness, researchers have suggested.

A team at King's College London said low levels of vitamin D, which is made by the body in sunlight, was linked to a worsening of symptoms.

Its latest research shows the vitamin calms an over-active part of the immune system in asthma.

However, treating patients with vitamin D has not yet been tested.

People with asthma can find it hard to breathe when their airways become inflamed, swollen and narrowed.

Most people are treated with steroids, but the drugs do not work for all.
Sunshine
"We know people with high levels of vitamin D are better able to control their asthma - that connection is quite striking," said researcher Prof Catherine Hawrylowicz.

Her group investigated the impact of the vitamin on a chemical in the body, interleukin-17. It is a vital part of the immune system and helps to fight off infections.

However, it can cause problems when levels get too high and has been strongly implicated in asthma.

In this study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vitamin D was able to lower levels of interleukin-17 when it was added to blood samples taken from 28 patients.

The team is now conducting clinical trials to see if giving the sunshine vitamin to patients could ease their symptoms. They are looking at patients who do not respond to steroids as they produce seven times more interleukin-17 than other patients.

Prof Catherine Hawrylowicz told the BBC: "We think that treating people with vitamin D could make steroid-resistant patients respond to steroids or let those who can control their asthma take less steroids."

She said a culture of covering up in the sun and using sun cream may have increased asthma rates, but "it is a careful message because too much sun is bad for you".

Malayka Rahman, from the charity Asthma UK, said: "For the majority of people with asthma, current available medicines are an effective way of managing the condition but we know that they don't work for everyone, which is why research into new treatments is vital.

"We also know that many people with asthma have concerns about the side effects of their medicines so if vitamin D is shown to reduce the amount of medicines required, this would have an enormous impact on people's quality of life.

"We look forward to the results of the clinical trial."



Top cancer doctor says you SHOULD have a sunbed session | Daily Mail UK

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1127175/Top-cancer-doctor-says-SHOULD-sunbed-session.html#socialLinks

Seen the light: Using a sunbed carefully during
winter months will boost your Vitamin D levels

Professor Tim Oliver is a Medical Oncologist at Barts and the London Hospital.












Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1127175/Top-cancer-doctor-says-SHOULD-sunbed-session.html#ixzz2RaFo8oZf
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
 


Medical establishment propaganda against indoor tanning | Natural News

Medical establishment continues ridiculous propaganda campaign against UV rays, likens tanning beds to 'coffins'

Study finds you can't overdose on Vitamin D from sunshine like you can with supplements

You Can’t Overdose Sunny ‘D’ | Smart Tan

Vitamin D Deficiency: Are You At Risk? | Yahoo / Marie Claire

http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/marie-claire/all-about-you/health/article/-/16347125/vitamin-d-deficiency-are-you-at-risk/

"It seems that by shunning the sun, we're putting ourselves at risk of vitamin D deficiency. So, is there a safe middle ground?"

Understanding the Base Tan | Smart Tan

The following article appears at: http://smarttan.com/news/index.php/understanding-base-tan/

Understanding the Base Tan

Friday, March 1st, 2013

One thing that critics of the indoor tanning industry either don’t understand or refused to admit is the reality that base tans acquired in a non-burning fashion at a professional tanning facility help to prevent sunburn.
It’s surprising. That is a fundamental cornerstone of the indoor tanning industry. And yet, after all these years, they refuse to acknowledge it. “Tans acquired at indoor tanning parlors have been studied and have a very poor ability to prevent sunburning,” the Skin Cancer Foundation claims on its web site.
We think the Skin Cancer Foundation’s claim deserves a second opinion. How about 30 million second opinions? Key to the success of the indoor tanning industry for more than two decades has been the ability of base tans, in proper combination with sunscreen usage outdoors, to protect people from sunburns on sunny vacations. Literally millions of indoor tanners will tell you it works. And it does.
Here’s what the sun-scare lobby either fails to understand or won’t admit: Sunscreen, as a product, is designed to prevent sunburn. A base tan essentially multiplies the ability of sunscreen to do its job. It’s all about protecting skin cells, one cell at a time, from overexposure and burning. Because a tan essentially enshrouds skin cells one cell at a time – in layman terms, much like the hard-shell coating of an M&M candy protects the chocolate – sunscreen is better able to do its job.
Think about it. An average indoor tanner might begin his or her tanning regimen with a five minute session and, over the course of three to four weeks, gradually work up to 15 to 20 minute sessions under the supervision of a professionally trained tanning operator. That means – after building a base tan – he or she can be exposed to 3-4 times as much sunlight before sunburn develops. And here’s the thing the anti-sun lobby doesn’t tell you: Professional tanning facilities recommend the proper use of sunscreen outdoors in situations where sunburn is a possibility. So the base tan makes the tanner’s skin 3-4 times more resilient, which multiples the effectiveness of the sunscreen he or she applies outdoors.
That’s a huge difference on a sub-tropical vacation and most likely means the difference between burning and not burning. It’s also the reason why Smart Tan studies have shown that a higher percentage of indoor tanning clients use sunscreen outdoors than non-tanners, and likely is part of the reason why surveys consistently show indoor tanners sunburn outdoors less often than non-tanners.
Sun scare lobbying groups are still clinging to yesterday’s science – contending that any sun exposure is harmful to the skin, that any tan is damage and that people should wear sunscreen 365 days a year in all climates. That’s horse and buggy thinking. As the science continues to mount showing that humans benefit from regular sun exposure, the sun scare messages will continue to look more and more ridiculous.


SmartTan.com news articles regularly report medical and scientific information to keep you abreast of current events related to UV light. This information is not intended to be used by any party to make unwarranted health claims to promote sunbed usage. Indoor tanning businesses are obligated to communicate a fair and balanced message to all clients about your products and services including the potential risks associated with indoor tanning. Contact your Smart Tan representative to find out more about what you can and can’t say in your tanning salon business.
© 2013 International Smart Tan Network. All rights reserved.

Op Ed: Let the Teens Tan | Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/karen-selick/skin-cancer-tanning-beds_b_2744788.html

Quote of the week: Derm:UV Benefits More Important than Risks

http://smarttan.com/news/index.php/quote-of-the-week-dermuv-benefits-more-important/

“I’m a dermatologist. My day job is telling people ‘You’ve got skin cancer. It’s caused by sunlight. Don’t go into the sun.’ I actually think a far-more-important message is that there are benefits as well as risks to sunlight. Yes, sunlight is the major alterable risk factor for skin cancer. But deaths from heart disease are 100 times higher than deaths from skin cancer. And I think that we need to be more aware of, and we need to find the risk benefit ratio: How much sunlight is safe and how can we finesse this best for our general health.” — British Dermatologist and researcher Dr. Richard Weller, whose Ted.com viral video is promoting a new potential benefit of regular UV exposure: natural Nitric Oxide (NO) production in the skin, which some are crediting as a mechanism of why heart disease is less common in sunny climates.

Private MD Labs: Vitamin D levels should be closely monitored

Vitamin D levels should be closely monitored

Richard Weller: Could the sun be good for your heart?

From Ted.com:

Our bodies get Vitamin D from the sun, but as dermatologist Richard Weller suggests, sunlight may confer another surprising benefit too. New research by his team shows that nitric oxide, a chemical transmitter stored in huge reserves in the skin, can be released by UV light, to great benefit for blood pressure and the cardiovascular system. What does it mean? Well, it might begin to explain why Scots get sick more than Australians ...

Dermatologist Richard Weller wants to know: Why are Scots so sick?

High School Basketball Star Must Tan to Treat Rare Disease | ABC News Blogs

High School Basketball Star Must Tan to Treat Rare Disease | ABC News Blogs - Yahoo!