Quote:
Originally Posted by ginkgo  Yet, there’s not a shred of real evidence that spending time in the sun actually causes deadly skin cancer. In fact, clinical evidence shows that sunlight prevents 17 different kinds of cancer.But our fear of the sun has kept us indoors and slathered with sunscreen. And that’s bad news… Turns out, a lack of sunshine can trigger deadly cancers, depression, bone loss, heart disease and more… |
That's a huge claim for that author to be making, especially without a shred of references or proof to back it up.
It's proven that UV light damages DNA. We know damaged DNA sets off the unregulated division of cells, which is what we call cancer. Melanocytes in your skin produce melanin to help shield against it.
I can tell you firsthand when I'm sunburned, I get permanent spots and damage from it. And it's these tiny brown spots that turn into questionable spots. The accepted medical science is that it's these questionable spots that are the highest risk for skin cancer. If you go in for a skin cancer screening which area do they look at -- the unblemished areas or the spots? Or consider it this way: if the author refuses to believe it's UV light that's damaging cells in skin, then he/she needs to say what the causative force really is.
"Skin cancer" being rare before the 1930s may not be accurate. Who screened for skin cancer in 1900 or 1920? The whole nature of cancer wasn't well understood back then.
We do need sunlight to convert Vit D to a usable form. But short exposure outside is not the same as going to the beach and laying out all day with no sunscreen. Our ancestors did not sunbathe. They were more active and healthier overall, so what worked for them may not work well for this generation.
In short, doing things outdoors is a good idea. But too much sun is dangerous and protection (clothes, hat, sunscreen) should be used when possible.