Sunshine? Did they get it wrong?

[Chuckanut]

Here’s more health related news that might be gobbly-gook or another case of the experts jumping to conclusions thanks to bad science. Time will tell.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2380751/sunscreen-sun-exposure-skin-cancer-science

“These rebels argue that what made the people with high vitamin D levels so healthy was not the vitamin itself. That was just a marker. Their vitamin D levels were high because they were getting plenty of exposure to the thing that was really responsible for their good health—that big orange ball shining down from above.”

 

[Rianne]

Great article. This paragraph stood out for me.


"Meanwhile, that big picture just keeps getting more interesting. Vitamin D now looks like the tip of the solar iceberg. Sunlight triggers the release of a number of other important compounds in the body, not only nitric oxide but also serotonin and endorphins. It reduces the risk of prostate, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers. It improves circadian rhythms. It reduces inflammation and dampens autoimmune responses. It improves virtually every mental condition you can think of. And it’s free."


My dermatologist does not wear sunscreen. My last 2 appts. his nurse asked me "do you wear sunscreen?" I reply, "not really." She barely blinked an eye. I can't remember the last time I bought sunscreen and I'm outside a lot, everyday. And I have a bunch of moles. And I will wait for all the health experts on our beloved forum to yell at me. )

 

[Sojourner]

Sunlight [...] reduces the risk of prostate, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers. It improves circadian rhythms. It reduces inflammation and dampens autoimmune responses. It improves virtually every mental condition you can think of.

Really? I had no idea that moderate exposure to sunlight had any correlation to a lower incidence of these cancers and other conditions. Fascinating. Maybe I should ease up a little bit on the SPF 70, especially when the UV Index is less than 8.

 

[marko]

I always wondered how our species survived and got this far along without sunscreen.

Seems that after a couple million years we should have adapted to those harmful rays. I live in Florida half the year; never used sunscreen in all my life. I only get tan(ner) and have never had a sunburn...genes.

DW is a fair Irish, so.......I get that it's different.

 

[ProspectiveBum]

I always wondered how our species survived and got this far along without sunscreen.

Seems that after a couple million years we should have adapted to those harmful rays. I live in Florida half the year; never used sunscreen in all my life. I only get tan(ner) and have never had a sunburn...genes.

DW is a fair Irish, so.......I get that it's different.

Our evolution over the last few millennia hasn’t caught up to the huge increase in mobility that humans have enjoyed over the last few hundred years. My Irish and Scandinavian ancestors didn’t have to worry much about excess sun exposure, but living in sunny SoCal, I’ll burn to a crisp after more than 20 minutes of direct exposure. Folks closer to the equator had much more natural protection.

I definitely think that our understanding of all the pathways in our bodies, and how our bodies react to various inputs (including sunlight) is in its absolute infancy. This was an interesting article, thanks for posting, OP!

 

[JoeWras]

And I will wait for all the health experts on our beloved forum to yell at me. )

Oh, they will. I've unsubscribed to most health threads. Not liking the tone that is developing on many of them.

 

[braumeister]

Oh, they will. I've unsubscribed to most health threads. Not liking the tone that is developing on many of them.

That's because there are no perfect answers. There is a lot of data, much of it contradictory, from a lot of studies, many of them poorly designed, and a lot of different interpretations of the data, many of them contradictory.

You have to look at each question yourself and dig into the information available to you.

I've commented before about the dilemma I faced when my primary doc was insistent about monitoring my Vitamin D level and urging me to get plenty of sun exposure, while my dermatologist was always urging me to cover up and wear lots of sunscreen 24/7/365. Both of them were good guys and were even personal friends with each other.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I used to wear it every day but stopped about 7 years ago. I am outside at least an hour everyday and more on other days.

 

[Cut-Throat]

When I am in the tropics and out on the water all day (8 hours), I definitely wear the SPF50+ Sunscreen... If you don't you'll be fried to a crisp.


Otherwise, I don't wear sunscreen when in and out of sun during the day.

 

[jimandthom]

Cut-Throat--- same here--- when out in the kayaks in the cool waters of Lake Superior.

We sleep like a rock those nights--- probably a combo of fresh air, exercise and sunshine. Also a decent idea for winter snow activites during a sunny day.

 

[Dtail]

When I am in the tropics and out on the water all day (8 hours), I definitely wear the SPF50+ Sunscreen... If you don't you'll be fried to a crisp.


Otherwise, I don't wear sunscreen when in and out of sun during the day.

Yeah I wear it now mainly if I feel the prolonged exposure for that day will cause a burn.

 

[Dawg52]

My dermatologist always reminds me to wear sunscreen. He's not an old dr with old school ideas. Pretty young guy. But I primarily wear it when I play golf. When I take the dog on a walk or mow the grass I don't bother with it.

 

[RAE]

I'm convinced (from a lot of studies I've reviewed) that the traditional advice to cover up with sunscreen whenever you are out in the sun is very bad advice. I personally never use sunscreen, although I do cover up with a light long-sleeve shirt and protection for my neck/head if I am going to be out in intense sunshine for more than a few hours or so. Certainly you do not want to get a sunburn, but I find it pretty easy to avoid burning my skin just by covering up with loose clothing on days when I am out in the sun a lot. There are lots of ingredients in the most popular sunscreens that are toxic, and they can enter your bloodstream through your skin. It is true that prolonged sun exposure (especially for fair-skinned people) can eventually lead to basal cell carcinoma, which typically form on the head, neck, face or upper torso. But basal cell carcinomas are not life-threatening, and can be easily removed. There is pretty good evidence that melanoma, the more serious form of skin cancer, is more common in people who AVOID the sun. If you still decide to use sunscreen, by all means use a brand that does not contain the worst toxic ingredients. You can easily do a google search to find those.

 

[RAE]

Article on why avoiding the sun may shorten your lifespan:


https://chriskresser.com/does-avoiding-the-sun-shorten-your-lifespan/

 

[Music Lover]

I always wondered how our species survived and got this far along without sunscreen.

They usually died from something else first, most of them before they turned 30.

 

[donheff]

When I am in the tropics and out on the water all day (8 hours), I definitely wear the SPF50+ Sunscreen... If you don't you'll be fried to a crisp.


Otherwise, I don't wear sunscreen when in and out of sun during the day.

I am the same on beaches and don't bother for in and out of the house. I am conflicted on bike riding. I typically go out for a few hours and worry about getting sunburn on my arms and face. I only use a small amount.

 

[Ronstar]

I never use sunscreen, I get a lot of sun, and I have had low vitamin D levels for years. Over the past 2 years, I've doubled the amount of vitamin D drops and my vitamin D levels haven't budged. I've increased sun exposure to no avail. None of my bloodwork benchmarks seem to be affected by diet, exercise or supplements.

I go to see my doc in a couple of weeks. My numbers will probably be about the same as last time. Maybe I'll mention that I read an article claiming that supplements don't work. I'm sure that will get a reaction from her.

 

[marko]

They usually died from something else first, most of them before they turned 30.

True. Lions were the 'cigarettes' of the day back then!

Except in more recent days they lived to what we'd consider normal. People in the 1800's and early 1900's worked in fields all day and most lived to their 70's and 80's.

My mom and grandmother both baked themselves dark brown all their lives, going to the beach every day. Mom is now 90 and looks 75 with nary a wrinkle. Genes off course, but 50 years ago nobody heard of sunscreen and in fact made things worse by using Baby Oil.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I read this article and found it very convincing. Maybe I just want to believe it because I don't like sunscreen. I do put it on at the beach or when I will be outside all day. I also don't like sunbathing- I am too impatient. I get a reasonable amount of sun on a regularly.

I do think that the medical community tends to throw the baby out with the bath water sometimes. Remember when all fat was evil, and people loaded up on "healthy" sugar loaded snack foods?

 

[pacergal]

Very fair skin here, so I do use sunscreen when out all day, especially if at the beach. Butin and out of the house, running around and doing yard work, no.

 

[Ian S]

I always wondered how our species survived and got this far along without sunscreen.

Well, for most of the time our species has been around, they procreated a lot and died relatively young. Probably not around long enough to develop some of the diseases like cancer.

 

[brett]

We have been to Australia several times. We are told that skin cancer is the number one cancer in Australia. Everyone tells us to wear a hat, use sun block, and carry water.

I am very fair and subject to sunstroke. So I wear sunscreen on a regular basis.

 

[kcowan]

I tend to sweat profusely so any sunscreen get soaked off quickly so I cover up but get my vitamins through my arms and legs.

 

[samclem]

Except in more recent days they lived to what we'd consider normal. People in the 1800's and early 1900's worked in fields all day and most lived to their 70's and 80's.

Most didn't live nearly that long in those days (graph below). Perhaps this impression exists because we know/have heard of only the "oldsters" who lived a long time.
Even discounting the (high) infant and childhood mortality of these years only goes so far. (Stats at this site) In 1902, a US white male of age 20 could expect to live to age 62 (up about 2 years from the situation in 1850). A white female could expect to live to age 64 (she had many years of dangerous childbirth ahead).

If we include non-white US citizens, the numbers go down farther.

For all of human existence until >very< recently, a person who lived to 80 was a real rarity.

 

[braumeister]

Most didn't live nearly that long in those days

These calculations are all over the place because people use different assumptions and ask different questions, but on the whole I think that's true.

I found this interesting statistic from the U. of VA:

1900: 41% survived to age 65, or 4.1% of the population, and lived an average of 11.9 more years

1940: 60% survived to 65, or 6.9% of the pop, and lived an average of 12.8 more years

2007: 84% survived to 65, or 12.5% of the pop, and lived an average of 18.6 more years

That's what I would call enormous progress.

How old is old? Is 80 the new 65? | StatChat