subject: The Sun And Vitamin D [print this page] The Sun and Vitamin D The Sun and Vitamin D
Its easy to overdo your sun exposure in your quest to finally spend some time outdoors especially when your skin is lily-white from being inside for months and not used to the sun.
Did you consider sunscreen? If you did, keep reading to discover how your sunscreen can present its own set of health issues.
Whats moreDaytime sun isnt the only summer headache you can have.
Ever been out on a beautiful summer evening enjoying the afterglow of sunset and onset of stars only to have it ruined by ten million mosquitoes?
Now, you could try solutions like DEET-based insect repellents but I certainly dont recommend it.
The Case AGAINST Using Sunscreen-Even Natural Ones I normally advise against using sunscreens, even most all-natural sunscreens. Ill share my reasons with you in a moment. But first, I need to get something off my chest.
Natural sunlights potential to harm you has really been blown out of proportion. This is thanks to many doctors, health officials, advertisements, beauty experts, corporations, and well-meaning friends. They basically tell you that you need to stay out of the sun because the sun will kill you. This simply isnt true.
For starters, there is little scientific evidence to justify the many health campaigns that urge you to completely avoid the sun. Avoiding the sun just doesnt make sense. And it certainly doesnt make any sense when study after study shows that The Sun is Not Deadly. In fact, the sun is healthy for you. Think about it. How could it be any other way?
After all, your ancestors have survived outdoors, working outside under the suns rays far more often than they were indoors and out of the sun. This brings up an obvious question. How on earth would it be possible for your body to end up being configured in such a way that the sun is now a deadly threat to you, me, and the entire human race? Like I said, it simply isnt true. Thats not to say sunlight cant be harmful. Of course, it can be
For instance, long-term, excessive exposure to sunlight can increase the risk of certain types of skin cancer. Yet moderate sun exposure is less dangerous than sporadic sun exposure.
Plus, theres a good deal of evidence that sun exposure without sunburn significantly decreases the risk of melanoma (a more deadly form of skin cancer). So safe sun exposure is key.
How Sunscreens Keep You from Enjoying the Many Benefits of the Suns Healthy Rays As you may know, wearing a sunscreen on your uncovered skin blocks your bodys production of vitamin D. In fact, sunscreens reduce vitamin D production by as much as 97.5 to 99.9%. And interfering with your bodys production of vitamin D by 97.5 to 99.9% may have dire health consequences.
