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Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

theguardian.com

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Re: Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

#41

Post by cpncrunch »

sega_sai wrote: post #28

I was about to believe the results as they caution that it's only showing the benefits for northern countries like UK and they control for exercise, but then I saw in the paper that they characterize 'sun-seeking behaviour' variable through 'how many times a year would you use a solarium or sunlamp?'. I think people who use solariums is a very special category of people, and I am not sure one can extrapolate from tha…

They asked about solarium use, outdoor sun in winter, and summer and various other questions. All showed lower hazard ratio. See table 2 in the 2014Lindquist study.

Re: Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

#42

Post by atombender »

wkat4242 wrote: post #23

Interesting. I've never been that worried, my skin doesn't burn easily even though I'm very fair-skinned and live in Spain and often hike outdoors. I just hate that SPF stuff on my skin. It makes it sticky and makes me feel dirty. Instead I just try to avoid burning. I do bring some for when it does start but it almost never does. What I do to avoid it works well enough. What I tend to do is just take the shady side…

There are many sunscreens out there, ranging from greasy and sticky, to completely unnoticeable. My go-to sunscreen of choice is Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch. It's sold in most pharmacies in the U.S. It's lightweight and doesn't feel like you have any sunscreen on at all. There's also a mineral version, but I've not tried it.

Re: Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

#43

Post by api »

pkoird wrote: post #40

N=1 but I've felt that I always sleep better when I've spent an hour in the sun that day. Considering how the sun has been a constant during much of human evolution, it just makes sense that our biological processes, both known and unknown, should revolve around it.

The obvious thing is that white people are white because they lost natural sunscreen living far from the equator. For that to have occurred the selection pressure must have been fairly strong.

Of course we do know that very heavy sun exposure and especially sunburn can cause cancer. It’s probably a case of moderation being good for you— not too little and not too much.

Re: Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

#44

Post by bawolff »

api wrote: post #43
pkoird wrote: post #40

N=1 but I've felt that I always sleep better when I've spent an hour in the sun that day. Considering how the sun has been a constant during much of human evolution, it just makes sense that our biological processes, both known and unknown, should revolve around it.

The obvious thing is that white people are white because they lost natural sunscreen living far from the equator. For that to have occurred the selection pressure must have been fairly strong. Of course we do know that very heavy sun exposure and especially sunburn can cause cancer. It’s probably a case of moderation being good for you— not too little and not too much.

I think the big question is does it matter outside of vitamin d deficiency.

Severe vit d deficiency obviously is strongly negatively selective. So that by itself explains the evolution of white skin in northern climates. I dont think evolution can be used as evidence for other benefits, since vit d deficiency would cause that just by itself.

Re: Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

#45

Post by ramblenode »

olivermuty wrote: post #19
torstenvl wrote: post #9

> Vitamin D is manufactured in our bodies when the UVB rays in sunlight react with a chemical in the skin called 7-dehydrocholesterol. Bone and muscle cells use it to regulate levels of calcium and phosphorus, which are needed to keep them strong and healthy If you are at all active over age 30 — by which I mean you EVER run, jump, or otherwise put pressure on your spine — you need to get lots of sunlight. Most peopl…

Most western diets gets more than enough d-vitamin through food additives. Just a couple of slices of cheese per day and some milk is all the d-vit you need here apparently. The old folk saying is to take d-vitamin supplements in all months that has an R in them. Probably sound advice

> Most western diets gets more than enough d-vitamin through food additives.

This is just wrong.

Per capita vitamin D defficiency and insufficiency in the US are estimated at about 30% and 40%, respectively [0] compared to about 50% insufficiency worldwide [1].

Lack of exposure to sunlight is a major predictor of vitamin D insufficiency, even in western countries [1]. Sunlight produces more bioavailable vitamin D than dietary sources, and the recommended daily vitamin D can easily be obtained from sunlight alone, while it is hard to obtain from diet alone.

> Just a couple of slices of cheese per day and some milk is all the d-vit you need here apparently.

Daily intake of cheese [2] and milk [3] fortified with vitamin D at the recommended daily value is insufficient to make up for a lack of sun exposure.

[0] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29644951/

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356951/

[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15956292/

[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20460232/

Re: Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

#46

Post by slashdev »

nu11ptr wrote: post #34

This is not even remotely surprising to me. I've always been a bit skeptical of "the sun is evil" (and got even more skeptical when I was told I should wear sunblock inside!) and ensure I get 20 minutes full body exposure daily in the summer. Anecdotally, I can tell a general difference in my mood and sleep during periods where I get adequate sun vs. when I'm not (and I supplement vitamin D when I'm not). While I am…

Yeah, that’s my thinking as well. I also try to get some sun exposure. I get too little being an tech worker.

Re: Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

#47

Post by capableweb »

kempfcreative wrote: post #38
0134340 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any many of those sunscreens, if not purely mineral-based, contain endocrine disruptors that can get absorbed into the skin.

Can you elaborate on this? I am always ridiculed because I don't want to put on sunscreen for health reasons but I don't remember what the evidence was.

Someone else recommended "Neutrogena, Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen" in this submission, and taking a quick look at the ingredients, it does have some I wouldn't put on my skin:

- Octocrylene (endocrine disruptive + might cause sun allergies)

- Butylated Hydroxytoluene (endocrine disruptive)

- Homosalate (https://health.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-08/sccs_o_244....)

Re: Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

#48

Post by [deleted] »

smdyc1 wrote: post #32
olivermuty wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most western diets gets more than enough d-vitamin through food additives. Just a couple of slices of cheese per day and some milk is all the d-vit you need here apparently. The old folk saying is to take d-vitamin supplements in all months that has an R in them. Probably sound advice

Unless you're living in the southern hemisphere, sure

[deleted]

Re: Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

#49

Post by Groxx »

api wrote: post #43
pkoird wrote: post #40

N=1 but I've felt that I always sleep better when I've spent an hour in the sun that day. Considering how the sun has been a constant during much of human evolution, it just makes sense that our biological processes, both known and unknown, should revolve around it.

The obvious thing is that white people are white because they lost natural sunscreen living far from the equator. For that to have occurred the selection pressure must have been fairly strong. Of course we do know that very heavy sun exposure and especially sunburn can cause cancer. It’s probably a case of moderation being good for you— not too little and not too much.

While I largely agree and I think it's pretty heavily sun related: there are plenty of other plausible mechanisms, I don't think it's quite that obvious or clear-cut.

E.g. it snows more as you go towards the poles. There are a lot of pale creatures in climates with snow, for the even more obvious natural selection pressure of "can hide better".

Re: Unexpected benefits of sun exposure on skin

#50

Post by bostonvaulter2 »

jms wrote: post #36

I've been living in Australia and New Zealand, and have been terrified of sun exposure - during peak times (summer mid-day) it's scary how quickly you can burn. However I also have low vitamin D. My current strategy is to check the UV levels (I've got a widget on my personal dashboard) and whenever the UV levels are moderate or below, I try to get as much sun exposure as possible - shorts and t-shirt, or topless. I t…

Where do you get the UV data from?
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