HEALTH CLUB SPA
Sunbeds have been linked with melanoma risks in the past, but new research suggests they may offer health benefits
FOR
OLIVER GILLIE BSc PhD FRSA Health Research Forum
F
or many years, sunbeds have been condemned on the grounds
that their use can cause melanoma, the serious form of skin cancer that costs lives. Now we have new scientific evidence from the UK that suggests this view is not necessarily correct and that sunbeds, when used carefully, are generally safe. Even more surprising, we now
know that the vitamin D produced in
skin during a sunbed session probably protects us from a variety of cancers. Scientists at Leeds University have
shown that regular exposure to the sun, and use of sunbeds, doesn’t generally cause melanoma in the UK. In fact, people who work outdoors and get lots of sunshine, and those who spend weekends outdoors, get less melanoma. Greater exposure to UV light means they make more vitamin D, which almost certainly protects against several cancers, including melanoma, and protects against common infections such as ‘fl u and many other diseases. However, a link between use of sunbeds and melanoma has been
found by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a prestigious body. IARC calculated that exposure to sunbeds would increase risk of melanoma by 15 per cent. However, this fi gure probably does not refl ect modern sunbeds and modern usage in the UK. A favoured explanation is that risk of melanoma comes primarily from burning, or excessive exposure to UV light, when the skin has had little or no previous exposure. Care always needs to be taken to
begin any sun exposure with small doses: then the benefi ts in terms of the prevention of cancer greatly exceed the risks.
NOW WE HAVE NEW SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FROM THE UK WHICH SUGGESTS THAT SUNBEDS, WHEN USED CAREFULLY, ARE GENERALLY SAFE
August 2013 © Cybertrek 2013 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 65
MAIN PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/DOTSHOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86