Research shows increases in sun exposure correlates with positive health outcomes

San Diego, CA (May 5, 2016) – In an effort to increase public awareness of the importance of sunshine to human health, today GrassrootsHealth, a public health promotion and research organization, declared May as “National Sunshine Month.”

With the transition from an agrarian to a technology-driven society, and other shifts in cultural behavior over the past several decades, Americans spend more time indoors than at any time in human history. The resulting decrease in exposure to sunlight is inhibiting our ability to fight many life-threatening diseases, including diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer and ironically, even skin cancer.

“Missing sunlight puts us at serious risk of a multitude of dangerous health problems,” said Carole Baggerly, Director of GrassrootsHealth. “It is essential that we improve public understanding of the need for sunshine exposure and health outcomes.”

Over the next four weeks, GrassrootsHealth’s experts within the medical and scientific community will educate the public and those in the medical and healthcare fields on why the sun is essential for public health. This will include the launch of GrassrootsHealth’s newest program “Harness the Power of the Sun for Health,” which will provide software for individuals to assess their current situation, set sunshine goals and track vitamin D levels and health outcomes.

“Advice from some within the medical community, and even our own government, encouraging Americans to avoid the sun is an immense threat to human health,” said Baggerly. “We expect National Sunshine Month will raise awareness of the sunshine, its many health benefits and ways to take advantage of it.”

GrassrootsHealth notes that new science is being discovered every day that demonstrates:

• A correlation between higher vitamin D levels and lower rates of colon cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, pre-term birth, and other life-threatening illnesses;
• The production of substances in our bodies other than vitamin D that are essential to human health; and
• Significant positive impact on many other conditions, such as reducing depression, hypertension and even reducing the mortality rates of people who have been diagnosed with skin cancer.

More information on National Sunshine Month can be accessed at grassrootshealth.net/harnessthesun.

To subscribe to campaign updates and information, please visit grassrootshealth.net/news.

About GrassrootsHealth

GrassrootsHealth is a nonprofit public health research organization dedicated to moving public health messages regarding vitamin D from science into practice. It has a panel of 48 senior vitamin D researchers from around the world contributing to its operations. GrassrootsHealth is currently running the D*action population intervention program to solve the vitamin D deficiency epidemic worldwide. Under the D*action umbrella, there are programs looking at the entire population as well as targeted programs for breast cancer prevention and a ‘Protect Our Children NOW!’ program to reduce the complications of vitamin D deficiency encountered during pregnancy and childhood.

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