Saturday, May 21, 2005

Most of us get enough sun without having to sunbathe

A recent article in the UK Health Telegraph ("Does sunbathing really have to be bad for your health?") tackles the question of how much sun we need to stay healthy. It is important to note what the recommended method of "sunbathing" is in the quotes below. There is no mention of laying out in direct sunlight on the beach with most of your body exposed. What is described sounds more like something you could do on your lunch break fully clothed.

From UK Health Telegraph:
How long do you need in the sun?

Sara Hiom is head of health information at Cancer Research UK, which heads the UK's Sunsmart campaign. She says that nobody really knows exactly how much sun we need for good health, but we do know that, in this country, most of us get enough by simply going about our normal lives to avoid the diseases we associate with vitamin D deficiency, such as rickets, especially because we also get some from our diet.
"For the average fair-skinned person, we would recommend around 15 minutes, two to three times a week, with your arms, face and maybe legs uncovered."

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