Should you wear sunscreen?

[LanghamP]

Maybe. Maybe not according to this study.

I think the important statement is "For every person who dies of skin cancer, more than 100 die from cardiovascular diseases."

Sunscreen, however, may not be the miracle solution it's cracked up to be. Controversial research from a dermatologist at the University of Edinburgh suggests that unprotected sun exposure is precisely what more of us need for overall better health. Richard Weller told Rowan Jacobsen of Outside Online that he's "not by nature a rebel" and that he used to "swallow the party line about the destructive nature of the sun's rays."

Until he didn't.
After realizing that rates of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and overall mortality all rise the further you go from the equator, and that all of these rates go up during the dark winter months, Weller wondered, "Could exposing skin to sunlight lower blood pressure?"

"Sure enough, when he exposed volunteers to the equivalent of 30 minutes of summer sunlight without sunscreen, their nitric oxide levels went up and their blood pressure went down. Because of its connection to heart disease and strokes, blood pressure is the leading cause of premature death and disease in the world, and the reduction was of a magnitude large enough to prevent millions of deaths on a global level."

What about skin cancer? It's not as serious a problem as it's made out to be, killing less than 3 per 100,000 people in the United States every year. And to put that into perspective, "For every person who dies of skin cancer, more than 100 die from cardiovascular diseases." Melanoma, the deadliest of skin cancers, accounts for only 1-3 percent of diagnosed cases; and curiously, Jacobsen reports, people who work outdoors have half the melanoma rate of indoor workers.

[ir_fuel]

Which does not mean that it's 

- a good idea

- a nice feeling

to get sun burn.

[ir_fuel]

Just read the article. It clearly states that it is with moderation. So doing a mountain trail in the blazing California sun from 8am to 8pm without sunscreen still is a pretty bad idea, as you'll get sun burn. So yes, you should wear sun screen when you do this kind of stuff.

Also, the comparisons are absurd. It's not because more people die from cardiovascular disease than from skin cancer, that you should ignore it. Those people who die from cardiovascular disease are maybe for a majority overweight, have high cholesterol levels and don't move as much as they are supposed to. If you do not belong to that risk category, and therefore have less chance to die at 50 years old from a stroke, maybe it is a good idea to take those smaller numbers into account, as in your case they might be statistically less insignificant.

Edited July 19, 2019 by ir_fuel

[LanghamP]

2 hours ago, ir_fuel said:

Also, the comparisons are absurd. It's not because more people die from cardiovascular disease than from skin cancer, that you should ignore it. Those people who die from cardiovascular disease are maybe for a majority overweight, have high cholesterol levels and don't move as much as they are supposed to. If you do not belong to that risk category, and therefore have less chance to die at 50 years old from a stroke, maybe it is a good idea to take those smaller numbers into account, as in your case they might be statistically less insignificant.

I had the same train of thought, in the way that people who were fit and didn't use sunscreen were in better shape than people who weren't fit and did use sunscreen. The former is often found outside most days of the week pounding pavement, while the later is often found inside pounding beers in front of a screen.

So should one wear sunscreen? In my opinion, never, because sunscreen is documented as harmful/fatal to frogs, and also to a lesser extent sea creatures such coral, stingrays, etc... Once washed off, that sunscreen goes somewhere.

It seems to me there's easy alternatives such as long-sleeved sports shirts and brimmed hats.

Interestingly, although sports shirts are "only" rated to 30 spf, they seem impervious to ultraviolet, because a watch face with luminescent hands won't glow beneath them.

However, this video will utterly convince of the need to wear sunscreen.

 

[wheelr]

@LanghamP Great video! People don't realize how much Sunlight damages their skin. I have a friend who uses sunscreen  everyday, even on gloomy days and he looks like he is in his late 20s even though he is 50. 

8 hours ago, LanghamP said:

After realizing that rates of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and overall mortality all rise the further you go from the equator, and that all of these rates go up during the dark winter months, Weller wondered, "Could exposing skin to sunlight lower blood pressure?"

Seems like a myopic way of looking at the data. People, further from the equator, have less access to fresh fruits and vegetables and rely more on animals to sustain themselves through the winter. They also seek fatty foods to build resistance against the colder temperatures and are less active due to weather restrictions. Factors like higher intake of fats, being less active and vitamin B12 deficiency (which regulates homocysteine) are more likely to contribute to cardio vascular health issues than lack of sun exposure. Another important point to consider is that due to our impact on the planet, we are less protected and more exposed than ever to the Sun.

 

 

A few tidbits: 

Berries (blue berries in particular) increase the body's natural protection against sunlight

src:https://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-skin-cancer-from-the-inside-out/

Alcohol consumption decreases the body defenses against sunlight and renders us more vulnerable to sunburns

Mushrooms are an excellent source of vitamin D when exposed upside down to the Sun (let them burn, so you don't have to)

src:https://fungi.com/blogs/articles/place-mushrooms-in-sunlight-to-get-your-vitamin-d

[LanghamP]

1 hour ago, wheelr said:

People, further from the equator, have less access to fresh fruits and vegetables and rely more on animals to sustain themselves through the winter

I wonder if the study considered that cardiovascular diseases primarily afflict the older, while people living around the equator don't live long enough to be afflicted by cardiovascular diseases.

There weren't too many Alzheimer patients in the world of Logan's Run.

[wheelr]

4 hours ago, LanghamP said:

I wonder if the study considered that cardiovascular diseases primarily afflict the older, while people living around the equator don't live long enough to be afflicted by cardiovascular diseases.

Exactly, that's another valid point. There are no shortcuts to health.

Edited July 20, 2019 by wheelr

[LucasD]

Vitamin D deficiency is greater risk than little sun. After about 30 minutes in good sun (depends one skin type), you can wear sunscreen. 

And video above is stupid, please show me theory that speckles are damaged/ old skin. In general the whiter somebody is more likely the speckles will be visible in normal light, not mentioning UV. The rest is normal effect of UV, your teeth will look super white LOL

Edited July 20, 2019 by LucasD

[Moeez]

On 7/20/2019 at 6:33 AM, LanghamP said:

I wonder if the study considered that cardiovascular diseases primarily afflict the older, while people living around the equator don't live long enough to be afflicted by cardiovascular diseases.

There weren't too many Alzheimer patients in the world of Logan's Run.

Well You'r right There weren't too many Alzheimer patients in the world.