After years of UV health warnings in the USA, a landmark study published in the prestigious journal Dermato-Endocrinology now calls insufficient sun exposure an “emerging health problem” for Americans. To date, advice has centred around avoiding the sun’s rays or applying sunscreen to reduce the risk of skin cancer. However the study presents new evidence to suggest the current advice is actually detrimental to health.

The researchers say that an unintended result of government advice is a 70% vitamin D insufficiency throughout the USA, with 13% of all deaths in the USA attributable to a lack of the vitamin. And Vitamin D production is not the only issue, with Macular Degeneration, various cancers, MS, Alzheimer’s and diabetes among the many conditions that can come as a result of lack of exposure to the sun’s rays.

Lead author, Dr David Hoel of the Medical University of South Carolina, states official advice “should change immediately to a recommendation of regular non-burning sun exposure for most Americans”. He goes on to say that “the sun is essential for life and should be diligently pursued in moderation, not avoided.” Controversially, the paper also calls for sunscreens to carry the warning that they will inhibit the production of Vitamin D, and that there is no evidence that they are effective in reducing the risk of melanoma.

Sources:

1. Medical Life Sciences News:
   Researchers call sun avoidance as emerging health problem in the U.S..

2. Dermato-Endocrinology:
   The risks and benefits of sun exposure 2016.