'Healthy' for women to sunbathe: Swedish study

Hmm, Exposure to solar radiation in the higher latitudes does not even compare to the levels we get at troical and near tropical lattitudes. I want to see the same study done in Australia and Central America. Pale people should stick to the northern climes.

Oh never mind me. All I really have to say about this is that melanoma sucks. Well, it really was the treatment that sucked. Can't really complain as I am still above ground.

The US Navy's findings said something like "Except for skin cancer..."

Is it too early to quote the inevitable 'correlation does not equal causation'?

Interesting stuff either way

We have all evolved to handle some sun. Some people have evolved to handle more of it than others. It is how we get our vitamin D. Like so many things, moderation is important. I suspect that most people on this forum are like me. I spend so much time outside running and cycling that even with a sweat-resistant SPF30, I get a tan. I have a patchwork of tan-lines to prove it, too.

This thread is useless without pictures!

It was never relavent before except in light of this comment...are you dark skinned? (is your profile pic really you?? lol)

Sun is the bodies main source of vitamin D and it doesn't take a lot of exposure to get it. But dark skinned people are actually at higher risk for osteoporosis and rickets for example. It's still not unusual to see african american toddler's with rickets because the skin absorbs the UV and doesn't let it penetrate to where the vitamin D conversion takes place.

Where as fair skinned people get t heir Vitamin D needs quickly and then the rest is added risk.

studies have show that sun is protective for most cancers except for melanoma. Not a new finding, just a new slew of results. Popcorn not needed.


Incidentally, in residency I had a friend who used to tan during the winter as an antidepressant. Not a lot of it, just once a week for a minimum period. It ried it and it sure made dark northern winter days feel better. I always used the minimum...I think I've tanned 6 times in my life. I like sun too, but I try to wear UV protection on my face mostly, and when at OW swim camps the rest of my body as well.

Just to be clear, here is a little more detail on the results.
1. The people in this study were virtually all fair skinned and in an area of the world with less sunlight than most.(Sweden)
2. The women who had normal exposure to the sun had the best mortality rate, the ones who had excessive exposure were second, and the ones who avoided the sun were third.
3. There are many other studies that show that excessive exposure in places that have lots of sun (ie. Australia as opposed to Sweden) do much worse.

The conclusion I see is that in areas that don't get a lot of direct sun, some sun is better than none and a lot of sun is better than none. In areas of the world that get a lot of direct sun, you're probably going to get enough sunlight going about your daily lives so use sunscreen and cover up whenever you're out for any length of time.

Just curious, but whatever became of the Swedish Bikini Team? Wonder if they were included in the study....

Good summary!

You mean the ones that weren't Swedish at all?

My DH is from Scotland, and if you swim across the North Sea you will hit Norway - if that gives you any idea of how far north he was.

The sun is definitely different there...on the rare sunny day it's not as harsh as say, a Texas sun. The first few years he lived here he had a hard time with the brightness of the sun - it could be only 55 degrees outside but he would go "Man that sun is blazing!" (for reference, we live in Chicago - not really known for blazing sunshine).

I remember some time ago Deena Kastor's fracture during the Beijing Olympics was blamed on lack of Vitamin D absorption from using sunscreen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/sports/deena-kastor-sees-olympic-...

"It was later determined, Kastor and Mahon said, that she had difficulty absorbing calcium and vitamin D. Sunlight is a natural source of vitamin D, but its absorption was hindered by a sunscreen that Kastor used on her fair complexion to guard against skin cancer, Mahon said. She adjusted her diet, began taking a vitamin supplement and added heavier resistance training in the weight room. "

I find that for my own sanity I need to get some amount of sunshine. When I run I tend to go early morning hours and even with my red hair I don't use sunscreen unless I know I'll be out past 9 AM. I'm a redhead so I have to be pretty careful, but IMHO it's all about balance and knowing when to slather it on and when I can safely catch a few rays.

Adding a flag and bleach the hair (or a wig) doesn't make any of them Swedish...

Merkins