Natural Sunshine = A Healthy Child
Janelle Sorensen
Healthy Child Healthy World
Last Updated: Thursday, August 14, 2008
For decades we’ve been warned against the dangers of sunshine with only minimal mention of the benefits of these same rays. Indeed, with more than a million people a year being diagnosed with skin cancer in the US alone, we do need to be on our toes. But, an April 2008 Environmental Health Perspectives report shows that avoiding the sun may be just as damaging to our health. In fact, recent research is compelling us to rethink sun exposure policy particularly for vulnerable groups including pregnant or breastfeeding women, infants and children, the elderly, and those who must avoid the sun.
Most people know that sunlight boosts the body’s vitamin D supply, but did you know that vitamin D regulates at least 1,000 different genes that govern virtually every tissue in the body? This includes calcium metabolism, neuromuscular and immune system functioning just to name a few. Sunshine also boosts serotonin and melatonin levels which help regulate our sleep schedules, as well as help counter infection, inflammation, auto-immunity, and even cancer. Recent research shows that regions with more sunshine have slightly higher levels of skin cancer, but an even higher level of survival for most other forms of cancer. It’s an unexpected paradox.
Cedric F. Garland, a medical professor at the University of California, San Diego, says that maintaining a serum level of 55–60 ng/mL of vitamin D may reduce the breast cancer rate in temperate regions by half, and that incidence of many other cancers would be similarly reduced as well. He calls this “the single most important action that could be taken by society to reduce the incidence of cancer in North America and Europe, beyond not smoking.” Moreover, these levels could be readily achieved by spending a few minutes outdoors (3–15 minutes for whites and 15–30 minutes for blacks) when the sun is highest in the sky, with 40% of the skin area exposed.
In a society that increasingly spends time indoors, make it a priority for your family to get outside everyday. Even cloudy days, as the sun’s UV rays penetrate clouds. And if you know you’ll be out for a while, play it safe and use protection. Barbara A. Gilchrest of Boston University School of Medicine says some sunlight enters the skin even through a high-SPF sunscreen, so people can maximize their dermal vitamin D production by spending additional time out- doors while wearing protection. “Without the sunscreen, this same individual would be incurring substantially more damage to her skin but not further increasing her vitamin D level,” she says.
Additional Resources:
Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health
Leading medical & health experts team up with celebrity parents to help you create a cleaner, greener, safer home and lifestyle.
Creating Healthy Environments for Children: Easy Steps for Homes, Child Care Centers and Schools.