As usual, correlation != causation. In this case, higher exposure to sunlight may just follow generally from more physical activity, and correlate with a healthier lifestyle. Asking the statistics champs here if such effects have been taken into consideration?
Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality
21–30 of 55 posts
Re: Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality
#22[dupe]
Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41301447
Re: Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality
#23This smells like BS...or rather misdirection.
If I go on a hike...and the health benefits of doing so are real, but I do incur a minor health negative from potential skin cancer from higher UV exposure.
...then I've still got a positive correlation between lower mortality and UV...even thought that's linking the wrong variables
Re: Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality
#24So it's not just that people who go outside more are generally healthier: "Solarium users were also at a lower risk of non-CVD/non-cancer mortality."
I would wager that there's a positive covariance between "solarium users" and "not poor" where "not poor" is surely correlated with lower mortality.
Re: Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality
#25Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality... for white people residing in the United Kingdom. The selected cohort of people is pretty specific from a global perspective. In particular, if you live in a higher UV location (i.e. closer to the equator), intentionally increasing sun exposure like they measured in this study may not be necessary or helpful. For instance, the entire lower 48 stat…
Higher calorific intake is associated with lower mortality*
*Study conducted during the Great Famine
Re: Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality
#26This smells like BS...or rather misdirection. If I go on a hike...and the health benefits of doing so are real, but I do incur a minor health negative from potential skin cancer from higher UV exposure. ...then I've still got a positive correlation between lower mortality and UV...even thought that's linking the wrong variables
Further, there's a selection bias in that those who choose to go on a hike today are not among the least healthy to start with, even if the hike itself didn't change anything.
Re: Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality
#27I have a very unscientific feeling that the scientific consensus will probably one day end up being something like:
sun is good for you in moderation, the amount that is ok depends on your skin color, how tanned you get, in which part of the world you are and how often you are outside. Avoid too much sun and avoid sun burns and also avoid crazy strong sunscreens that block the benefits of getting sunlight. The lifestyle that some people have of spending the whole year inside in an office and that spending their all vacations roasting at the beach is very unhealthy because body does not have time to adapt.
Re: Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality
#28Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality... for white people residing in the United Kingdom. The selected cohort of people is pretty specific from a global perspective. In particular, if you live in a higher UV location (i.e. closer to the equator), intentionally increasing sun exposure like they measured in this study may not be necessary or helpful. For instance, the entire lower 48 stat…
Higher calorific intake is associated with lower mortality* *Study conducted during the Great Famine
While I get your point, I think it’s a rather uncharitable way of putting it.
A lot of the world is in lower UV continents like the UK. It’s not like it’s a statistical outlier like the great famine. So this research can have benefits to a lot of other people in other counties too.
Re: Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality
#29This is an interesting finding. But, a reminder that this is epidemiological data. It is nearly impossible to "adjust" for all confounding variables in epidemiological studies. For example, you may expect a health user-bias among people who use solariums, sunlamps, or have high vitamin-D levels, and health at baseline might be effected by random fluctuations not accounting for all variance. I would look for evidence…
How well fundamented is the opposite belief, that seems to be held as true by nearly everybody? I know the link to skin cancer is well established, but I don't know of any broad study about all causes of mortality.
Yes, do not take this study as true. But also, look at your priors.
Re: Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality
#30Higher ultraviolet light exposure is associated with lower mortality... for white people residing in the United Kingdom. The selected cohort of people is pretty specific from a global perspective. In particular, if you live in a higher UV location (i.e. closer to the equator), intentionally increasing sun exposure like they measured in this study may not be necessary or helpful. For instance, the entire lower 48 stat…
I mean, they would be the ones I'd expect to be the most sensitive to the negative impacts of UV radiation, right? The acute effects of UV tend to be worse on people who are (a) lighter skinned and (b) get less exposure in general.
I would actually expect the biggest positive impacts would be to darker-skinned people who live in higher latitudes with more time spent inside (as melanin protects you from the UV radiation, so you see higher rates of, e.g. vitamin D insufficiency).
There's three major pathways for health benefits from sun exposure.
1. UVB radiation stimulates the synthesis of vitamin D3.
2. UVA radiation stimulates the release of nitric oxide. This reduces your blood pressure and improves markers of cardiovascular health.
3. You're outside getting physical activity.
[edit] Also note that melanoma survival rates are much better for people who get more time in the sun.