Sunshine Benefits and Sunscreen Dangers

Article by healthybalance.com staff
Posted on July 25, 2008

Did you know many Americans don’t get enough Vitamin D? Vitamin D deficiency can lead to many health issues, including bone problems. A new study has also linked Vitamin D deficiency to increased risks for heart disease.

“Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, above and beyond established cardiovascular risk factors,” said Thomas J. Wang, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “The higher risk associated with vitamin D deficiency was particularly evident among individuals with high blood pressure.”

What’s your best source of Vitamin D? Sunshine! In fact, Vitamin D is called “the sunshine vitamin.” When your skin is exposed to sunshine, it manufactures the Vitamin D you need for bone health—and heart health.

How much sunshine do you need to produce a good amount of vitamin D? About 20 minutes summer sun exposure is usually enough—the more skin exposed the better. (Though, it’s never healthy to get sunburn.) People with darker skin require more time in the sun to produce equivalent amounts of Vitamin D. During fall, winter and spring longer exposure times are recommended.

New cancer concerns
Most of us have been scared away from the sun and encouraged to slather on sunscreen to block out cancer causing UV rays. Now, new reports tell us that many sunscreens are downright ineffective and others actually contain carcinogenic chemicals.

“Patients are confused,” said skin cancer researcher Dr. Darrell S. Rigel, a clinical professor of dermatology at New York University. “I’ve had patients come in and ask, ‘Am I harming myself by using it (sunscreen)’?”

The sunscreen ingredients in question include diethanolamine, triethanolamine (DEA, TEA), padimate-o, octyl dimethyl PABA, benzophenone, oxybenzone, homosalate, octyl-methoxycinnamate (octinoxate), salicylates and parabens. Some of these chemicals are also hormone benders that might interfere with normal sexual development and cause reproductive problems. Others can cause skin irritation and rashes.

The Environmental Working Group’s investigation of nearly 1,000 sunscreen products found that four out of five provided inadequate protection or contained chemicals with the above health risks.
After reviewing approximately 1,000 sunscreens, the group whittled its recommended list to 143, mostly lesser-known brands using titanium and zinc.

Alternate Vitamin D sources
Can’t get enough sun? The American Heart Association recommends eating these food sources of vitamin D:
•Milk
•Salmon
•Mackerel
•Sardines
•Cod liver oil

If you do decide you need a supplemental Vitamin D, make sure it contains Vitamin D3, a source that has greater effectiveness in helping you maintain healthy bones and heart.