May outweigh risk of developing skin cancer

A new study by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory suggests that the benefits of moderately increased exposure to sunlight – namely the production of vitamin D, which protects against the lethal effects of many forms of cancer and other diseases – may outweigh the risk of developing skin cancer.

“We know that solar radiation is the leading cause of skin cancer,” communicating author Richard Setlow, a Senior Biophysical Emeritus at Brookhaven, told Science Daily.

Setlow is a well-known expert on the link between solar radiation and skin cancer, and emphasises that people need to protect themselves from the harmful effects of sun exposure.

But solar radiation is also a major, if not the main source of vitamin D in humans. In the presence of sunlight, the body converts certain precursor chemicals to active vitamin D.

Setlow told the paper, “Since vitamin D has been shown to play a protective role in a number of internal cancers and possible a range of other diseases, it is important to study the relative risks to determine whether advice to avoid sun exposure may be causing more harm than good in some populations.”