A large new analysis of UK Biobank data found that people with higher habitual ultraviolet (UV) exposure lived longer and died less often from cardiovascular disease and non-skin cancers, without a corresponding increase in skin cancer deaths.

The study—analyzing more than 419,000 adults—reported that medium and high UV exposure were associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality, primarily driven by reductions in heart disease and internal cancer deaths. While higher UV exposure did increase the incidence of common non-melanoma skin cancers, skin cancer mortality did not rise in a clear dose-dependent way.

Taken together, the findings suggest that when both risks and benefits are considered, habitual UV exposure may offer a net survival advantage at the population level.

What the Numbers Show

Using a multidimensional UV exposure score called Sun-BEEM, researchers categorized participants into low, medium, or high habitual UV exposure and tracked health outcomes over time.

Compared with low UV exposure:

• Medium UV exposure was linked to an 11% reduction in all-cause mortality

• High UV exposure was linked to a 16% reduction in all-cause mortality

These reductions were consistent across:

• Cardiovascular mortality

• Non-skin cancer mortality

The strongest protective associations were seen in the two leading causes of death in Western populations—heart disease and internal cancers.

Skin Cancer: Increased Incidence, Not Increased Deaths

The study confirmed what decades of dermatology research already shows: higher UV exposure leads to more non-melanoma (keratinocyte) skin cancers.

However, two critical distinctions emerged:

• Skin cancer mortality did not increase in proportion to UV exposure

• There was no clear dose-response relationship between higher UV exposure and deaths from melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancer

In other words, while higher UV exposure was associated with more diagnoses, it was not associated with more skin cancer deaths.

Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks?

To address this question directly, researchers used counterfactual modeling—a statistical method that estimates what would happen under different exposure scenarios.

Their conclusion was unambiguous:

If the observed associations are causal, a population-wide shift from low to high habitual UV exposure would prevent substantially more cardiovascular and non-skin cancer deaths than the number of additional skin cancer deaths it would cause.

This is a rare example of a study that explicitly quantifies trade-offs, rather than treating skin cancer risk in isolation.

Not Just Vitamin D

The study also examined biological mechanisms using proteomic data from more than 44,000 participants.

UV exposure was associated with changes in proteins related to:

• Immune system regulation

• Inflammation control

• Cardiovascular and neuroendocrine pathways

Importantly, these pathways were largely independent of vitamin D, reinforcing the idea that UV exposure influences health through multiple biological systems.

Click here to view the study.

SmartTan.com news articles regularly report medical and scientific information to keep you abreast of current events related to UV light. This information is not intended to be used by any party to make unwarranted health claims to promote sunbed usage. Indoor tanning businesses are obligated to communicate a fair and balanced message to all clients about your products and services including the potential risks associated with indoor tanning. Contact your Smart Tan representative to find out more about what you can and can’t say in your tanning salon business.

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