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Researcher says to soak up a little sun

19.01.05
By DAVID EAMES


Contrary to popular belief, regular stints under the summer sun, without sunscreen, may be beneficial, says Auckland University researcher Robert Scragg.

He believes "pale people" need about 10 minutes a day in the sun without sunblock, and the darker-skinned - including Maori and Pacific Islanders - could stand at least 20 minutes.

The sun is a rich source of vitamin D, and just five minutes in the outdoors can provide up to 20 times the dose contained in a typical vitamin tablet, he says.

Dr Scragg, a researcher at the university's medical and health sciences school, believes low vitamin D levels can be a factor in a number of health conditions, including heart disease and strokes.

Maori and Pacific Islanders are susceptible to low vitamin D levels, and higher instances of related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, he says.

"Sunlight is responsible for 80 to 90 per cent of the vitamin D our bodies take in. So really, there isn't anything else we can do but get some sun."

The Cancer Society remains wary of the sun. Auckland health promotions manager Wendy Fulton says everyone, regardless of race, should stay in the shade during the danger hours of 11am to 4pm.

"Our recommendation is that over the summer months people be extremely careful because the risk of skin cancer and melanomas are very high.

"We acknowledge there is an issue about vitamin D, but people should be able to get enough vitamin D if outside in the sun outside of those high-risk times."

Wendy Fulton says anyone venturing out during the peak sunshine hours should cover up with sunscreen.

"We have to be very careful because Maori and Pacific Islanders can still get melanoma. We don't want anyone getting the idea that it is good to be out there getting sunburned."

Dr Scragg says people are unlikely to burn after 10 minutes' exposure to the sun, and burn-time estimates are based on "slight, minimal redness" of the skin.

"I am not encouraging people to spend hours in the sun, but there is strong and growing evidence that vitamin D can protect us from many diseases.

"As a species, we evolved in the sun. It is only in the past 100 years or so we have moved indoors."

[veronica]

funny that, we used to know a chemist who lived in our village and he reckoned that skin cancer wasn't much around before sun screen. OK there are a lot of package holidays around now that weren't then so a lot of folks had sudden exposure to the sun and got burnt but he reckons that before sunscreen people got a base tan early in the year and were more careful when it got really hot.

[Wannaway]

When we lived in Switzerland for a few months a lot of the local kids there needed Vit K injections because of a deficiency caused by a lack of sunlight.

Have to be v.careful here in NZ tho, the UV rays are shockingly fierce. We spent two hours on one of the western beaches at Christmas, the whole time we were there it was pretty thick cloud cover and I still got sunburned. It was a real eye opener (and forehead stinger!) :eek .

[eric_amanda]

The strength of the sun here in NZ is frightening. My 11mth baby has better tanned legs than any of us and he spends most of his time in the shade and has sun screen applied as much as everyone else!!! We are assuming he gets it through reflection and because he sits most of the time outside his legs are more prone to catching the sun!!

I believe there is something in the Vit D story, however at this time of year feel it is best to stick with the sunscreen for now and hope this is enough.

[veronica]

Don't forget that the clouds only block the suns heat, not the rays. so it is easier to burn because you don't feel as hot.

[Wannaway]

Veronica,

Agree your comments - regrettably I only learnt through painful experience (painful for my family that is, as I continually bleated about feeling sore :wah ). Being a pamepered pom from the Northern Hemisphere, it is difficult to comprehend the strength of the sun and UV rays here until you experience it. When they say slip,slap,slop etc etc - you had better believe it! :yes

Lee

[Jo and Andy]

I had several moles removed several years ago, NOTHING wrong with them, and my consultant, said that I was better having some time in the sun regulary and getting a slight tan, thank staying out of the sun completely and accidently getting burnt to a crisp at the first exposure as I would have not natural resliance.

Have kept to that, haven't really burnt in 10 years (maybe once or twice a slight pink but gone by next day), and use sun cream frequently start on high move down. In mexico in October I was down to factor 4 last few days, and I am fair skinned.

So I am sticking with the idea that a little does you good but be careful, and I know NZ is differnt and will prepare myself.

Some time in the Sun and a swim in the sea is better than a lot of vitamin tablets.

[Moorf]

Some time in the Sun and a swim in the sea is better than a lot of vitamin tablets.

Sooo true, and there's the benefits of the swim, the soothing salt water, the reflexology effect of the sand and pebbles on your bare feet and the feeling of wellbeing :nice1 damn, time for a skinny dip I think.. it's 2am and soooo warm

[jo b]

This was in the papers in the UK abour 2 years ago re the same opinion.

Also that wearing suncream can also give you a false sense of security where people stay in the sun too long.

jo

[Diny]

Moorf you're just being perverted ...... you won't get much benefit from the sun at 2 am.

:laugh
Diny

[veronica]

nooo.......... but it gives a tremendous feeling of well being.....and the sand can do the reflexology thing.

[Moorf]

After the blue jellyfish thread I'm not going anywhere near the water unless I can SEE :eek

[toesonthenose]

I am a melanoma survivor myself, so I would definitely cover up. It was 0.3mm deep (yes that said 0.3mm), so I am stage 1, with a 96% chance of surviving 5 years. Melanoma is staged in part by its depth of infiltration into the skin. It must be caught early! At 0.76mm one would be stage 2, with a 70% chance of surviving 5 years, at 1.5mm deep it is Stage 3 with 5 year survival well below 50%, Stage 4 20% etc. Those who observe that skin cancer was rare prior to sunscreen make many errors in examing the epidemiology of melanoma. Our ourdoor lifestyles, tanning salons, depletion of our protective ozone layer, and others put us all at risk for health problems linked to UV radiation. Not just melanoma, but also immunosuppresion,pterygium (white fleshy bump on the surface of the eye, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma. BTW I am 2 years cancer free this month. I am also 37 with 3 boys under age 10.

[veronica]

toes on the nose. just for the record what sort of skin tone and hair colour do you have. The very name you have picked let alone your location would lead me to believe that you have had a lot more sun exposure than us UK people.

[toesonthenose]

Blond, blue eyes, Fin ancestry, grew up in Michigan woth lots of unprotected sun exposure. Now in Hawaii for 10 years with lots of sun protection and no burns in my time here. While the UK may not have melanoma rates of Hawaii or NZ, rates are climbing. And all of the British posters on this forum who long for the BBQ and barefeet of NZ will also need to be aware and vigilant against the sun for their childrens safety in the NZ sun.
PS. Toes on the nose refers to a style of longboard surfing were you "Hang ten", or curl your toes over the nose of the board while the wave holds down the back of the board, a very enlightening experience!

[veronica]

Best thing of all is not to lay out in the sun when the sun is at its hottest, its what we did in Australia and I can't ever remember getting burnt there. So far here I haven't worn any sun cream at all and I haven't burnt or got very brown either, tend to sit in the shade in the middle of the day. Its different with kids as they want to be out playing but loose longleeved stuff works too. At the hostel here we have taken to warning all new arrivals to take it easy with the sun as most people end up getting a bit pink at the end of their first day and thats usually just from walking about the town.

[Jo and Andy]

I agree, you just have to be careful, in the shade in the middle of the day, and irritating your kids the rest of it, YES YOU MUST WEAR SUNSCREEN IF YOU ARE SWIMMING, is my constant chant on holiday, but used P20 on a couple of days and were were fine, sticky all morning but fine.

Glad you are free Toes on the Nose. I will keep aware of all my moles,

[Mildred]

When I was a kid we used to be given Silversun tablets to take on hot days. They stopped you getting sunburnt. Last year I had a patch of skin frozen off my face which the dermatologist said was sun damage. I asked him whether Silversun tablets were taken off the market because of safety reasons and he said he felt it was more to do with sun creams being marketed better. Apparently these tablets were first used for cabin crew on long haul flights.

Funnily enough just read in today's Daily Mail that tablets are being brought out to protect against sunburn. Perhaps they are they same as I took as a kid. (Prior to the tablets I used to burn so bad that I had blisters everywhere unless I wore a T-shirt and this was just on the Isle of Wight).

[Moorf]

In case any of you out there are concerned about a mole or mark and want to get it checked out, there are a number of Mole Clinics in NZ...

Here's one.. cost of a "scan" is $125 - not bad for piece of mind imho.

http://www.molecheck.co.nz/skin.html

I purposely didn't post the "home" page for the above site as I found it a bit "in yer face" :oops:

[Gran]

Look around you guys, look at the older people, you will see the sun damage, I think it creeps up on you, I have used sun cream as a moisturiser since 1970, I never look outside and say "I wont need it today" just put it on rain or shine. These days you dont need to use sun cream because most of the moisturisers have sun protection in them, so just look for that SPF on the jar. The NZ sun is a killer.

[Wannaway]

We have not been here very long and already I have met several people who have told me they have skin cancer and are having dozens of moles etc removed every year. They have all said that nobody bothered about skin care when they were young (all over 40).

I am not surprised by the rate here when I see so many people including kids with very few clothes on in the middle of the day on the beach.

[Moorf]

I just got back from the beach - I could only stand 1 hour walking up and down with dog as so hot - I was fully covered with 30+ sunscreen.

But was totally amazed at the number of families on the beach (ok, there was only 3 families in total but that's LOADS here!) who were bright pink.. fine if you're an adult, your choice, but their KIDS were also really red -poor things. I'd have to say, without speaking to them, that they were probably Brits (the Norwich FC top kinda gave me a clue) - and I wonder if they are following the British mentality of "it's sunny so I'll go and burn on the beach in case that's the only sunny day this week"... without realising that it's gonna be sunny ALOT over the next month or two :laugh

You can even get dog sun-screen here :yes (see, I knew I'd get a dog into the Health, Medical and Education thread somehow!!)

Moorf