Boning up on Bone Strength 2: The Latest Research from Sweden regarding Sunlight and Osteoporosis

By: Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute–

The evidence has been mounting for some time that sunlight exposure can halt osteoporosis in its tracks. For example, an investigation from Spain in 2008 concluded that women who actively participated in sun exposure had one-eleventh the chance of a hip fracture as those who stayed indoors.[1] There is no bone drug that can create such dramatic results, and neither has vitamin D supplementation been able to create such results, although vitamin D was doubtlessly a major factor in the results of the Spanish research.

The beauty of sunlight exposure is the fact that it is irrefutably capable of reversing osteoporosis. A study from Japan furnishes the proof:   Over twelve months, 129 elderly, hospitalized women were exposed to regular sunlight and another 129 stayed received no sunlight.  The results were impressive. In these sedentary women, the sunlight group increased bone mass by an average 3.1%; in the non-sunlight-exposed group, it decreased by 3.3%.[2] More importantly, the women who had the benefit of sunlight had only one bone fracture in their group.  The sunlight-deprived group had six fractures! Sunlight reversed osteoporosis. Vitamin D produced by the skin in response to sunlight likely played a large role in the reversal; blood levels increased by nearly 400% during the year. Nevertheless, the women remained vitamin D deficient, reaching levels of about 19 ng/ml. This may mean that something beyond vitamin D production—perhaps another photoproduct produced by the skin in response to sunlight—made a difference. Certainly, no study using vitamin D supplements alone has produced such results.

The aforementioned studies conclusively demonstrate that sunlight is the key to strong, healthy bones; nevertheless, corroborating information continues to emerge. Recently published research from Sweden showed the results of an investigation regarding the correlations among fracture rates, latitude and UV radiation[3] (the light spectrums of sunlight that stimulate the skin to produce vitamin D and other photoproducts such as nitric oxide, endorphins, etc.). The higher the latitude, the lower is the exposure to UV radiation. The investigators showed that there were statistically significant correlations between hip-fracture rates and latitude as well as UV radiation in Sweden. Obviously, this is another instance of sunlight exposure preventing osteoporosis and fracture.

Osteoporosis, like many other degenerative diseases, is an absolutely unnecessary malady. Plenty of sunshine and a healthful nutrition program can prevent and even reverse these illnesses.

 


[1] Larrosa, M.  Vitamin D deficiency and related factors in patients with osteoporotic hip fracture.  Med Clin (BARC) 2008;130:6-9.

[2] Sato, Y. Metoki N, Iwamoto J, Satoh K.  Amelioration of osteoporosis and hypovitaminosis D by sunlight exposure in stroke patients.  Neurology 2003;61:338-42.)

[3] Nilson F, Moniruzzaman S, Andersson R. A comparison of hip fracture incidence rates among elderly in Sweden by latitude and sunlight exposure. Scand J Public Health. 2013 Nov 21. [Epub ahead of print].

 

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Research from the Netherlands shows a Decrease in Skin Cancer and other Cancers with an Increase in Daily, Regular Sunlight Exposure.

By: Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute–

A recent research paper from the Netherlands states that a shift from daily exposure to the sun to an intermittent exposure has correlated to an increase in skin cancer, and it suggests that moderate, frequent exposure is the best advice for people living in that country.[1] The researchers also state that frequent exposure is a protective factor against colorectal, cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as multiple sclerosis and metabolic syndrome.

Interestingly, the paper mentions that the circadian rhythm is affected by light. It postulates that too low levels of light in the daytime and too high levels of light in the evening and at night can weaken and disrupt that rhythm, which could be a risk factor for some types of cancer and for metabolic syndrome. Such ideas have been studied previously, and have indicated that disruption of the circadian rhythm due to night-shift work may lead to increased breast-and/or-colorectal cancer risk in women.[2] [3]

Whatever the reason, which could also be related to vitamin D production among those who are regularly exposed to sunlight, the evidence for the health benefits of safe sunlight becomes clearer by the day. I opine that millions of lives could be saved yearly by regular, non-burning sun exposure for the entire population.

 


[1] van der Rhee HJ, Coomans CP, van de Velde P, Coebergh JW, de Vries E. [Illness, health and sunlight]. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 2013;157(46)

[2] Davis S, Mirick DK. Circadian disruption, shift work and the risk of cancer: a summary of the evidence and studies in Seattle. Cancer Causes Control 2006;17:539-45.

[3] Reparto di Chirurgia Generale A/D, Policlinico Sant’Andrea, Sapienza Università di Roma. [Night work as a possible risk factor for breast cancer in nurses. Correlation between the onset of tumors and alterations in blood melatonin levels]. Prof Inferm. 2007;60:89-93.

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Regular Occupational Sunlight Exposure is Associated with a Reduced risk of Melanoma on the Face and Arms.

By: Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute–

From University of Sydney in Australia comes the latest research to contradict one of the biggest lies of the past several decades: that melanoma is caused by sunlight exposure.

The results of the investigation were recently published in the International Journal of Cancer, and demonstrated that regular sunlight exposure was not associated with either overall melanoma risk or risk at different body sites.[1] To the contrary, the highest sunlight exposure predicted a 44% decreased risk of melanoma on the head and neck when compared to the lowest exposure.

In addition, when sunlight exposure to the upper limbs was assessed, the highest exposure was associated with a decreased risk of melanoma of 34%. The authors stated, “Our results suggest that occupational sun exposure does not increase risk of melanoma, even of melanomas situated on the head and neck.”

Stated another way, the authors might have suggested that sunlight exposure protects against the risk of contracting melanoma. In reading this research, I was reminded of a statement by Dr. Frank Garland during his presentation at a vitamin D conference I attended several years ago. He said, “melanoma is a disease of sedentary, indoor office workers.” He was absolutely correct.

Those who have bought the propaganda of the American Academy of Dermatology may consider this information quite surprising, but in reality it is just one more in a long line of scientific investigations pointing out several reasons that melanoma is not caused by sunlight exposure: (1) Most melanomas occur on areas of the body that are seldom exposed to sunlight. (2) As sunscreen use has increased, melanoma has also increased. (3) Outdoor workers have far less risk of melanoma than indoor workers. (4) As the populace has left outdoor work and moved indoors, profoundly reducing sunlight exposure, melanoma has increased exponentially.

For those interested in reading further regarding these statements and also searching the references, they are contained on previous posts on this site. In the meantime, let’s take advantage of some non-burning sun exposure to protect ourselves against melanoma.

I’m grateful to the scientists from Australia who brought forth this information. Truth will ultimately prevail.

 


[1] Vuong K, McGeechan K, Armstrong BK; AMFS Investigators; GEM Investigators, Cust AE. Occupational sun exposure and risk of melanoma according to anatomical site. Int J Cancer 2013 Nov 13 [Epub ahead of print].

 

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Alcohol and Melanoma: More Proof that this Deadly Skin Cancer is not caused by Sunlight

By: Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute–

Those who make a fortune by maligning the sunlight as the cause of melanoma, fail to consider that there are many factors that correlate to an increased melanoma risk. Two decades ago, an important study was published in the Annals of Epidemiology, which pointed to several nutritional factors, one of which was the consumption of alcohol.[1] In that research, women who drank two or more drinks per day had an increased risk of melanoma of 250%. Then, in 2004, Amy Millen and her colleagues showed that  high alcohol consumption (2.8 drinks per week) correlated to an increased risk of melanoma of 69%.[2]

When considering those studies, it becomes obvious that increasing consumption of alcohol leads to increasing risk of melanoma. Millen’s research, by the way, defined many other nutritional factors that lead to either an increased risk of melanoma or a protection against the disease. I discussed those factors in an earlier post on nutrition and melanoma. http://sunlightinstitute.org/skin-cancer-and-nutrition%E2%80%94stop-blaming-sun

The latest research corroborates the findings of the two aforementioned studies. Jessica Kubo and colleagues investigated the effect of alcohol consumption on the risk of melanoma in a 10.2-year study.[3] Several interesting observations emerged: (1) those who consumed 7+ drinks per week had a 64% increased risk of melanoma; (2) higher lifetime alcohol consumption was positively correlated to risk of the disease; (3) higher current alcohol consumption similarly correlated to a higher risk: (4) current alcohol intake also predicted higher risk; (5) a preference for white wine or liquor also predicted increased risk.

So you see, the idea that melanoma is caused by sunlight exposure is again refuted. We know that as sunlight exposure has decreased profoundly in the last 100 years, the risk of melanoma has increased exponentially. When sunlight exposure has decreased and melanoma has concomitantly increased, what more needs to be said? I have previously posted two blogs on this subject and believe that they entirely refute the claim that melanoma is caused by sunlight.http://sunlightinstitute.org/exposing-sunlightmelanoma-fraud-part-1   http://sunlightinstitute.org/exposing-sunlightmelanoma-fraud-part-2

It is time that we started using our heads and look for the real reason for melanoma. Alcohol is just one reason among many, and it is time to look to other deleterious lifestyles as being the real causes of this deadly disease.



[1] Bain C, Green A, Siskind V, Alexander J, Harvey P. Diet and melanoma. An exploratory case-control study. Ann Epidemiol 1993;3:235-8.

[2] Millen AE, Tucker MA, Hartge P, Halpern A, Elder DE, et al. Diet and Melanoma in a Case-Control Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2004;13(6):1042-51.

[3] Kubo JT, Henderson MT, Desai M, Wactawski-Wende J, Stefanick ML, Tang JY. Alcohol consumption and risk of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer in the Women’s Health Initiative. Cancer Causes Control 2013 Oct 31. [Epub ahead of print]

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Regular Sunny Holidays Predict Better Prognosis in Melanoma Patients.

By: Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute–

To those of us who support regular sun exposure, a study of epochal importance has just been published in the medical journal PLoS One. The lead author, Dr. Sara Gandini, has also performed previous research showing the efficacy of sunlight in enhancing health, and has brought to light that many factors not related to sunlight are the real causes of melanoma.[1]

In her latest publication, she and her colleagues show that holidays in sunny areas were significantly correlated to thinner melanomas,[2] meaning that the cancers were less likely to progress and spread. There was a dose-response protection against thicker melanomas; in other words, the greater the number of weeks of sunny holidays, the greater less the risk of thicker melanomas. This correlation existed only for women. The good news, however, is that for both sexes,recurrence of excised melanomas was reduced an average of 70% in those who spent the greatest number of days in the sunlight.

I and many others have said for years that not only does sunlight not cause melanoma, regular non-burning sunlight is protective against contracting melanoma. This new research corroborates that fact.

A similar study on melanoma thickness and the risk of relapse was done in 2009 by Julia Newton-Bishop and colleagues.[3] In that research, it was shown that subjects with higher vitamin D levels had thinner melanomas and a greater survival prognosis. Nevertheless, the results were not nearly as impressive as the study by Gandini, et al. Sunlight exposure per se appears to be superior to vitamin D levels per se in protecting against melanoma.

Sunlight exposure is the best and most natural way to produce large quantities of vitamin D in the human body, and we are learning that sunlight produces many health benefits beyond vitamin D production. This present research is another step forward in bringing sunlight back to its rightful position as mankind’s best friend.

 


[1] Gandini, S, et al. Meta-analysis of risk factors for cutaneous melanoma: I-3. European Journal of Cancer  2005;41:28–44.

[2] Gandini S, De Vries E, Tosti G, Botteri E, Spadola G, et al. Sunny Holidays before and after Melanoma Diagnosis Are Respectively Associated with Lower Breslow Thickness and Lower Relapse Rates in Italy. PLoS One 2013;8:e78820.

[3] Newton-Bishop JA, Beswick S, Randerson-Moor J, Chang YM, Affleck P, et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels are associated with breslow thickness at presentation and survival from melanoma. J Clin Oncol 2009;27:5439-44.

 

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Coping with Low Vitamin D Levels in Alaska: Is a Sunny, Tropical Vacation the Answer?

By: Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute–

The Alaska Dispatch recently published an article on the dilemma Alaskans face during their extremely long vitamin D winter (at least seven months). Meredith Tallas began a study on vitamin D levels in 1983, following 47 volunteers for the next 25 years while regularly monitoring their vitamin D levels.

She found that vitamin D levels were better in the summertime and lowest in winter, which is no surprise, and she also found that those who took vacations in Hawaii each winter spiked their D levels— also no surprise.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the article was the advice that a midwinter trip to the sunny tropics would be great for improving vitamin D status. She stated: “Presuming that an individual’s lowest circulating vitamin D level is found in March or April, such trips could potentially have a very significant effect in improving late winter vitamin D status.”

Obviously, MS Tallas is a believer in sunshine as the very best way to optimize vitamin D levels.

Read the article. 

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Sunlight exposure correlates to a reduced risk of ADHD

By: Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute–

Researchers have found that sunlight exposure correlates to a decreased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Researchers assessed the relationship between the prevalence of ADHD and the intensity of sunlight in various nations and in US states.[1]After adjusting for birth weights, infant mortality and other relevant factors, they found that the greater the sunlight exposure, the less was the prevalance of ADHD. It is obvious that sunlight exposure was able to mitigate ADHD.

It is interesting that the authors suggested that that the mechanism by which sunlight accomplishes this improvement could be a positive change in the circadian rhythm, a factor that had previously been associated with ADHD. It was also interesting that the researchers did not mention vitamin D production by sunlight, since several studies have shown an association between low vitamin D and diseases such as Alzheimer’s, brain development in baby rats, autism, anxiety and depression. Rats born to vitamin D deficient mothers also have permanently damaged brains into adulthood,[2]and exhibit hyperactivity.[3]In addition, recent research shows that adult vitamin D deficiency leads to behavioral and brain alterations in mice.[4]

Considering the aforementioned effects of vitamin D deficiency on the brain, it is not surprising that sunlight, which stimulates the skin to produce vitamin D, correlates to a reduced risk of ADHD. It is a mystery that the authors did not consider vitamin d production as the mechanism that leads to the improvement.

Let’s soak up some sunlight, get rid of hyperactivity and start focusing on those things that are important—a good idea for both children and adults!

 


[1]Martijn Arns, Kristiaan B. van der Heijden, L. Eugene Arnold, and J. Leon Kenemans. Geographic Variation in the Prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The Sunny Perspective. Biol Psychiatry 2013;15;74:585-90.

[2]McGrath, J. et al.  Vitamin D3-implications for brain development.  J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2004;89-90:557-60.
[3]Burne TH, Becker A, Brown J, Eyles DW, Mackay-Sim A, McGrath JJ. Transient prenatal Vitamin D deficiency is associated with hyperlocomotion in adult rats. Behav Brain Res 2004;;154:549-55
[4]Groves NJ, Kesby JP, Eyles DW, McGrath JJ, Mackay-Sim A, Burne TH. Adult vitamin D deficiency leads to behavioral and brain neurochemical alterations in C57BL/6J and BALB/c mice. Behav Brain Res 2013;15;241:120-31.
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Do you want to feel better? Try a Little Sunshine!

By: Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute–

New research from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Corroborates what almost every human being knows: Sunshine brightens the mood. Twenty people with depressive symptoms were split into two groups: one group was asked to spend more time in the sunlight, and another group was asked to see a doctor. The experiment lasted for seven weeks and showed that those who spent more time in the sunlight had fewer symptoms of depression.

The authors of this research suggested that vitamin D status accounted for the differences in the two groups, but I personally believe that it is more likely that the true mechanism was the influence of sunlight exposure in producing endorphins and serotonin. We who live in more northern climes have all experienced immediate mood elevation on entering the sunlight after spending several days or months in cloudy winter weather. Vitamin D is not produced in winter in high-latitude countries, so winter sunshine must be the factor that makes the difference. Also, we cannot raise vitamin D levels fast enough to make that kind of immediate difference in mood. Those in the UAE whose moods improved had previously created their own “winter” by avoiding sunlight, and it is likely that the mood improvements were made not by vitamin D but by the aforementioned mood-enhancing changes. Nevertheless, the article makes some good points and is worth reading.

 

Read the article.

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The Indian Press says, “Bring on the Sunshine.”

By: MarcSorenson, Sunlight Institute–

In so many countries, sunlight is looked on with fear, and the press is constantly promoting that fear by warning that sun exposure in causing melanoma—an idea that is patently false.

Fortunately, in India not everyone is buying the sunscare propaganda. It is not uncommon to see articles in the Indian press expressing the concern that Indians, many of who have adopted the indoor lifestyles of western countries, are becoming severely deficient in vitamin D due to lack of sunlight exposure. One of those articles was recently published in the online version of India Today. The author, Nalini Ravichandran, correctly points out: “Scientific studies have proven that Vitamin D is like the ignition key to your car; the car won’t run unless you turn the key and ignite the engine. So get started in the right direction, before it gets too late.” In other words, seek the sunlight!

The author also laments the fact that 80% of Indians are now vitamin-D deficient. The only thing lacking in this excellent piece is a discussion of all the benefits of sunlight beyond vitamin D.

I applaud the efforts of the Indian press to bring the truth about sunlight to their populace. I have seen several articles in the past year all extolling the benefits of sunlight. Now, if only we could get the western press to catch up!

Read the article.

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Load up on Sunlight this Fall.

By: Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute–

A great new article by Michelle Goldstein in Natural News states that fall is a great time to soak up the sunlight. I agree. Although the amount of vitamin D produced by sunlight exposure is reduced compared to the amount produced in summer, there is still the production of nitric oxide, which lowers blood pressure and reduces cardiovascular disease, and the production of endorphins and serotonin, which are natural mood elevators.

The article points out that the best time to get sun is between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, exactly the opposite of the advice given by the Powers of Darkness—those who would ruin health by keeping us out of the sunlight. The article also mentions several diseases that correlate to sunlight deficiency.  It is very-well-written and speaks the truth.

Read the article.

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