vitaminD&tanning
Type 1 Diabetes, Osteomalacia, Heart Disease and Schizophrenia,”
However, this is not to say that a lack of vitaminDis the only cause of these illnesses and diseases, or that peoplewho regularly take in the vitaminwon’t get them, but it does signify that vitaminDcan affect the health of people inmany differentways and therefore sun exposure should not be overlooked!
The realisation that vitamin D could help in decreasing the risk of cancer isn’t a new idea either. “Vitamin D was first suggested as a cancer risk reduction factor by Cedric and his brother Frank Garland, and a colleague Frank Gorhamin 1980,” says Gary. “They were the first to provide epidemiological evidence that vitamin D deficiency is involved in numerous
cancers.They noted that the latidinal increases in colon cancermortality rates in the US was inversely correlated with annual sunshine dosage and suggested that vitamin D was the active agent.”
Dr Peter Selby, a lecturer inmedicine at Manchester Royal Infirmary, also adds: “Reducing exposure to solar radiation, far frompreventing cancer,may have the opposite effect.”According to Dr Selby, a 10 percent decrease in exposure to sunlight would not greatly reduce skin cancer, but could lead to a six percent increase in other
cancers.These extra deaths would exceed deaths fromskin cancer put together.
creating vitamin D
It’s well known that the easiest way to create vitamin D in the body is the sunshine, which is why it is often known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’. “Exposure to UVB, present in sunshine, is the body’s natural way of producing vitamin D, in fact 90 percent is formed this way,” says Gary. “Our bodies have a huge capacity to produce vitamin D. For example, with just 1MED of UVB, our bodies can create 10,000 to 25,000 IU of vitamin D.”
However, Dr Des Fernandes believes that exposure to the sun should be controlled and that an effective sun protection needs to be balanced with the right amount of exposure. “You need UVB tomake natural vitamin D,
which is very important for your health, but you should not expose your skin for too long because then you will destroy the natural vitamin D that you havemanufactured!
“Life is a balancing act!We need sunlight to be healthy so do not avoid it,” he says. “We need it to brighten up ourminds and tomake the essential vitamin D that keeps our bones strong.”
According to Gary, in January this year, the UK’s ChiefMedical Officer finally acknowledged that vitamin D deficiency is an issue that needs to be tackled. “It’s so good to see our topmedical professionals finally catching up with amajor health issue that the indoor tanning industry (and others of course) have been aware of for years,” he says.
So how can we advise clients tomake the most of the sunlight and sunbeds in order to createmaximumvitamin D? “Thanks to the efforts of those researching vitamin D and the organisation, includingThe Sunbed Association, which works hard to communicate the results of vitamin D research, there has been a U-turn in advice on UV exposure,” says Gary. “ Until recently, healthcare agencies found it a lot easier just to tell people to avoid sunshine than teach themhow to enjoy it responsibly and appropriately.
“However, a joint consensus position statement onVitamin D fromCancer Research UK and the BritishAssociation of Dermatologists, amongst others, now states that vitamin D is essential for good bone health and formost people sunlight is the most important source of vitamin D.
“They recommend exposure to UV, while taking care not to burn, in order to provide the benefits of vitamin D and that vitamin D can be effectively and sufficiently produced at doses of UV below those which cause sunburn, so little and often is best”.
Gary believes that another way that people can secure adequate vitamin D levels is by using a sunbed. DrMichael Holick,MD, Phd, Boston University and author ofThe UVAdvantage estimates that one needs to expose 25 percent of the body tomid-day
solar radiation two to three times a week during the Summer to produce the optimal amount of vitamin
D.These figures are for light skinned individuals and dark skinned people would needmore exposure as dark skin takes longer to absorb the UVB.
Tomaintain vitamin D levels fromOctober toMarch, when the sun is not strong enough in Britain and Northern Europe, Gary believes that a sunbed is an intelligent way to maximise the benefits of sun exposure whilst minimising the risks associated with too much or too little sunlight.
Dr Des Fernandes adds: “I believe that people should spendmore time in the sun, and apply vitaminA immediately after the exposure and pre-load their skin with the vitamins before going out in the sun.”
Research has suggested that food alone isn’t enough to create the amount of vitamin D that we need and Lorraine recommends that people at risk of vitamin D deficiency should also take a vitamin D supplement.
When it comes to vitamin D and tanning, it seems that the consensus lies in getting the balance just right. Professor Shuster, a highly respected dermatologist and author of Panic Nation, has stated thatmost things we do have risks – it’s the consequence of the risk thatmatters, and that depends on the frequency and duration of exposure. He believes UV exposure and its effect on the skin have been grossly exaggerated.
Gary believes thatmore research has to be done into vitamin D and tanning so that we are able to offer our clients sound advice and try and take away the scare factor that often comes with UV tanning today. “There is no doubt that the vitamin Dmessage has gained significant status in the last couple of years but there is still a long way to go. It seems as though new statistics, research and data are emerging almost on a daily basis, highlighting themultitude of health benefits fromsunlight and vitamin D deficient, we need to ensure governments are directing, funding and supporting departments and initiatives that recognise the health and resultant financial benefits of a responsible attitude to UV exposure.”
GUILD NEWS 107
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