No sun,
no life. Apart from the obvious benefits that the sun provides
to the earth at the macro level, sunlight is a great thing in moderation.
The main benefits of sinlight include:
Vitamin D—Ten
minutes of daily exposure to sunlight is all it takes for
the skin to produce sufficient amounts of Vitamin D when
exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D can also be obtained through
dietary means, such as via vitamin
supplementation.
Warmth and Happiness—Hold
on...before you think what a bogus benefit this is, think
about how you feel during a long rainy season, at the onset
of another snowstorm, or when your lungs freeze when you
walk outside to scrape the ice off your car in the morning.
A warm, tropical break wouldn't be so bad, would it? Want
a visual? Click
here. Case closed?
While sunshine just "feels good",
and we should get brief exposure on a regular basis, this must
be tempered with prudence and caution, because what is a blessing
can quickly become a curse quickly if abused. Overexposure
to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays, even on overcast days,
can lead to skin cancer and cataracts (blindness), and sometimes
heatstroke.
Due to the inherent risks of overexposure
to sunlight, this discussion would be incomplete without proper
balance/warnings. We really want you to be healthy, optimally
healthy, as does the person that sent you to this site. So
bear with us as we get a little motherly... |
A special
type of cell, called a melanocyte,
lives within our inner skin layer. These cells produce melanin,
which is the pigment that leads
to tanning. For Caucasians,
this pigment can be built up in the skin cells to a protective
level over a 5 to 7 day period by having exposure to UV for short
periods of time daily. Non-Caucasians experience
continuous melanin production, so the skin is always pigmented
to some degree.
When melanocytes receive excessive UV radiation, they become
damaged. Some cells may die; others repair themselves by getting
rid of the damaged DNA. The problem
occurs with cells that are unable to repair themselves, which
can eventually lead to melanoma,
an aggressive, deadly form of skin cancer.
This problem can be attacked on two fronts:
Prevention—It
is prudent to prevent overexposure to the sun. The easiest
way to accomplish this is the way it was done for millenia
prior to the advent of sunscreen (hats and long sleeves). Sunscreen
does a great job of blocking or absorbing UV rays, but the
jury is still out as to whether the chemical side effects outweigh
the benefits. Babies less than
6 months old should be kept out of the sun completely,
as their skin is unable to make protective levels of melanin.
Immune System Support—Excessive
UV light lowers the body’s immune system, which
makes it difficult for the body to destroy and remove defective/cancerous
cells. This underscores the
need to have a "well-oiled" immune system.
See further information regarding compromised immune systems
in the Physician's Desk
Reference and the highlighted material for the two
referenced books on glyconutrition. |
