Do you often doubt whether the sun is good or bad for you? In the summer, you hear most often about these negative aspects of the sun, that it accelerates the aging of the skin, destroys it, that it can cause cancer. However, this negative PR is here to warn us against the possible consequences of excessive sunbathing, lack of attention and prudence on our part. This time let’s focus on the positive effects of the sun on health. Why is it worth using?
Vitamin D a gift from the sun
Doctors do not hide from us the fact that the sun is needed for the production of vitamin D – extremely important for our health. In children, it affects the proper development of bones, in adults it supports the skeletal system and prevents osteoporosis. Vitamin D is needed by our immune system, and it also inhibits the growth of cancer cells in the body. These are not the only benefits of vitamin D produced by the sun. Scottish scientists have proven that thanks to the sun, a greater amount of nitric oxide is produced in our body, which lowers blood pressure by dilating blood vessels. So people with hypertension should not avoid the sun as it may have seemed so far, because high blood pressure is associated with the risk of stroke or heart attack. Researchers have been able to prove that the sun’s rays help to lower blood pressure, i.e. reduce the risk of the diseases mentioned above.
The sun has more advantages?
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh go one step further. They claim that hiding from the sun is actually harmful to health, as is excessive use of it. We know that long-term tanning is harmful skin, which can lead to the development of melanoma, or skin cancer. It turns out, however, that too rigorous avoidance of the sun is also bad for health, and the risks associated with it can have even more serious consequences than those resulting from excessive tanning. Well, the lack of providing the body with a healthy dose of warm, sunny rays can contribute to the development of some diseases that become active due to their lack. According to researchers, these are diseases associated primarily with bones and joints.
Remember about healthy tanning
So how do you balance these two tanning issues? First of all, don’t give up sunbathing and don’t avoid the sun. Our climate does not provide us with enough sun anyway, so when it appears in the blue sky, it shines the strongest and we should use it the warmest. The key is sensible and safe tanning. Long and intensive tanning is not an option. This pleasure should be shortened even by people with dark skin, whose skin takes on a brown color, and who often do not pay attention to the number of hours spent in the sun. This approach to tanning can be deceptive and can lead to burns and skin diseases. Death in tanning this is the basis as well as a headgear and the use of an appropriate cream with a filter. However, it should be noted here that such creams block the production of vitamin D in our skin. Therefore, from time to time we can expose the body to full sun without using any blocker. Of course, the sun should not shine too intensely then. Our heart will also benefit from it.