#1

UV Light for Health (Vit D is not enough)

Here’s my latest podcast episode. It isn’t about longevity but it is about health and connected to Vit D. I found that my understanding of UV light was wrong in many ways.
Prof Prue Hart says:

  • Vit D is a marker of sufficient UV light exposure. Low Vit D?..get more UV light
  • Vit D is only 1 of many molecules made by the body when exposed to UV light…all are important for health
  • Sun exposure is anti inflammatory
  • Sunlight dampens an over active immune system. Bring it back to homeostasis
  • TOO LITTLE sun exposure is linked to increased mortality and multiple chronic diseases, including autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases
  • The more sun exposure people get the longer they live
  • Melanoma is caused by sunburn, not by cumulative sub-sunburn exposure to sunlight
  • Never sunburn but get minutes of midday sun most days. Figure out what you can do without getting red skin
  • Wear a hat, and use clothes and sunscreen applied properly when outside longer than you can tolerate without turning red

I hope you like it.

6 Likes
#2

Totally agree. I’ve had 20 minutes of unprotected sun exposure daily for decades. I even sit out on cold days and just supplement during those months. I live in Maryland so the sun gives me vitamin D from April to October., but as you state, it’s good for more than just D.

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#3

@rivasp12 20 min daily is amazing. I have been doing morning sun for a while but now I have to get regular midday sun. Just a few minutes. I can do it!

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#4

I bet activity / exercise vs sedentary lifestyle would be a tough confounder in these supplement vs sunlight comparisons. If you’re making it outside long enough to generate that vitamin D, you’re already doing better in multiple dimensions compared to people who aren’t.

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#5

Really enjoyed the talk! How did you find somebody further out than me on this subject? Good job.

I’m going hunting with no shirt this evening.

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#6

Check this out:

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#7

Of course, it’s a fine line between looking like a grape and looking like a raisin. :roll_eyes:

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#8

Is there any truth to the theory that those who supplement D don’t get all the benefits from sun exposure?

#9

Endothelial senescence is a major problem associated with aging. If you scroll down to section 3.3, the authors state that NO protects against all of the factors involved in the process.

IJMS | Free Full-Text | Endothelial Senescence and Its Impact on Angiogenesis in Alzheimer’s Disease (mdpi.com)

#10

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Irradiating your skin because of some terrible studies?

Appeal to nature fallacy. Don’t try it once.

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#11

Everything has trade offs. I’ve been getting sun exposure for decades at 20-30 minutes a day, as did my father who lived in great health until 95. Yeah, I’ve had one basal cell removed in 68 years. So what? Melanoma is much more related to blistering burns when young than to gradually tanning when older.

I’ll protect myself from multiple diseases with all of the healthful sun rays while mildly increasing my mostly benign non melanoma skin risk. Even when melanoma does occur, it’s less aggressive in those with more sun exposure. The risk of 20 minutes of sun a day is greatly exaggerated and is mostly beneficial.

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#12

You completely ignored the aesthetics issue where you will look like a shrivled up raisin if you keep it up.
No evidence that is not poor quality studies, according to Bitterman.

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#13

Perfect. This is the paper Prof Hart asked me to include in the podcast show notes. She is an author on this paper. It’s a worthy read for any curious searcher with an open mind.

#14

Exactly. We all get to pick our poison. I grew up in sunny south florida. The sun makes me happy. I am much more careful now about sunburn…having made many mistakes in my past (no cancer yet found on my regular dermatology appts, and not too many wrinkles either at 61). I will get my small midday sunshine dose on torso and legs to get my Vit D, NO and other benefits, and stop getting periodic long exposure. Wearing a wide brimmed hat when outdoors will be a new behavior to minimize any cumulative UV impacts on face and neck.

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#15

There are many tradeoffs in life. Living in a closet and eating nothing but healthy food, not drinking, and counting calories every day is not living.
Mame Dennis :“Yes! Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!”
If you do not enjoy what you do, what is the point?

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#16

How about taking a compromise and using a high quality sunscreen whenever you go outside?

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#17

Here’s a 92-year old who used sunscreen on the face but not the neck.

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#18

I’ll be wearing a hat and clothes but sunscreen is great if applied/reapplied appropriately. I only need 10 minutes (-ish) each day with no clothes or sunscreen on my torso and legs. I think I will add sunscreen for hands since I don’t think I’ll be wearing gloves very often.

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#19

Oct 1 2023 Article on this exact topic in Guardian with references

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#20

This entire article is based on weak association studies.
The easiest way to test the hypothesis of “more sun (UV) = lower all cause mortality” would be to use genetically bald mice, split them into several groups and expose them to various durations of sunlight, then compare median and maximum lifespan.
Until we get such a trial or until Mendellian randomization proves a causal relationship between sun light exposure and all cause mortality, exposure to UV should be avoided because we know for a fact that UV increases risk of melanoma but we only have weak associations for more sun light being beneficial.

3 Likes