Telling its readers to “kick the winter blues” of seasonal depression, popular entertainment news source Access Hollywood this week pointed to the fact that sun exposure and sunbed exposure have benefits.

“The seasonal blues are a feeling of mild depression that coincides with the seasons that are typically shorter on light and sunshine,” Aubrey Marcus of Onnit Labs, a natural supplements maker, told Access Hollywood.

Onnit’s advice, according to the report: “Take your opportunities while the sun is shining, even if it is partly cloudy, to spend some time outside. While artificial tanning has its drawbacks to skin health, if done sparingly during the winter can also help the body with natural vitamin D production.”

It’s encouraging to see a supplement manufacturer acknowledge that sunlight is the natural source of vitamin D. Sunlight also triggers endorphin production in the skin – known to counter seasonal depression. Until recently, experts thought endorphin production was only triggered by ocular exposure to sunlight. Not so – it’s made in the skin.

As for the “drawbacks” of sunlight, eventually even supplement manufacturers will figure out that sunburn prevention — not sun avoidance — is the key. To read the Access Hollywood story click here.