{"id":18259,"date":"2016-07-08T10:02:09","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T14:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/?p=18259"},"modified":"2016-07-08T10:02:30","modified_gmt":"2016-07-08T14:02:30","slug":"is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/","title":{"rendered":"Sun Avoidance: A Risk Factor for Mortality?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By Jeff Nicklas, Vitamin D Council<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers found that avoiding sun exposure may increase the risk for all-cause mortality in women.<\/p>\n<p>In past articles, we&#8217;ve covered the positive and negative aspects of sun exposure. Safe, moderate sun exposure is the natural and best way to meet your body&#8217;s requirements for vitamin D. On the other hand, intense, infrequent sun exposure may increase your risk for malignant melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer.<\/p>\n<p>In recent decades, studies showing increased risk of skin cancer due to intense sun exposure have received more public attention than studies showing the benefits of vitamin D and safe, moderate sun exposure. This has developed into what some call Sun Scare, leading to sun avoidance by the public.<\/p>\n<p>There has been little research looking at the effects that sun avoidance have on human health. We know that adequate vitamin D levels can help improve areas such as bone health, the immune system and the heart, but how might complete avoidance of the sun affect our health?<\/p>\n<p>Recently, researchers out of Sweden conducted a study on Northern European women to determine the effects of sun avoidance on health.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers looked at data from the Melanoma in Southern Sweden (MISS) study. The MISS study began in 1990 and included 29,518 women aged 25 to 64 years old. The women answered questions about risk factors for melanoma in 1990 and then again at a follow-ups in 2000 and 2011. The study aimed to compare the women\u2019s viewpoints on risk factors for melanoma with the actual development of cancer and mortality over the 20 year period.<\/p>\n<p>In the current study, the researchers looked at data of all the women from the MISS study who had no previous history of cancer or any malignancy. They looked at questionnaire responses in 1990 and again at the follow-up in 2000.<\/p>\n<p>Among other lifestyle questions, the women were asked to answer four yes-no questions regarding sun exposure habits. To measure total sun exposure, the researchers scored each woman\u2019s response by the number of times that they answered \u201cyes\u201d to these questions.<\/p>\n<p>A score of 0 signified complete sun avoidance and a score of 4 signified the greatest amount of sun exposure.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers wanted to know if avoiding the sun might affect the risk of all-cause mortality among the women.<\/p>\n<p>After all data was collected and analyzed, the researchers found:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The mortality rate among women who avoided the sun was double compared to those with the highest sun exposure.<\/li>\n<li>There was a dose-dependent inverse relationship between sun exposure and all-cause mortality. This means that the rate of all-cause mortality decreased with every increase in ratings of sun exposure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The researchers concluded,<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe mortality rate was increased two-fold among avoiders of sun exposure as compared to those with the highest sun exposure habits. In this study focusing on avoidance of sun exposure, women with \u2018normal\u2019 sun exposure habits were not at significantly increased risk for MM or of MM-related death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In this study, the researchers looked at women of northern European descent. Many women of this region have light skin, and therefore are more sensitive to the sun. Because the researchers only looked at northern European women, we don\u2019t know if these results would be the same in populations of different gender or ethnicity. Furthermore, the use of a questionnaire means that we don\u2019t know if sun exposure habits were accurately reported by the participants, and due to the observational design of the study, we don\u2019t know for sure if higher sun exposure decreases risk of mortality.<\/p>\n<p>While this study cannot confirm that sun exposure reduces risk of mortality, it is more evidence that safe, moderate sun exposure is an effective way to produce vitamin D and maintain good health.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>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\u2019t say in your tanning salon business.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a9 2016 International Smart Tan Network. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jeff Nicklas, Vitamin D Council In a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers found that avoiding sun exposure may increase the risk for all-cause mortality in women. In past articles, we&#8217;ve covered the positive and negative aspects of sun exposure. Safe, moderate sun exposure is the natural and best way to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18261,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sun Avoidance: A Risk Factor for Mortality? - Smart Tan News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Jeff Nicklas, Vitamin D Council  In a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers found that avoiding sun exposure may increase the risk for all-cause mortality in women.  In past articles, we&#039;ve covered the positive and negative aspects of sun exposure. Safe, moderate sun exposure is the natural and best way to meet your body&#039;s requirements for vitamin D. On the other hand, intense, infrequent sun exposure may increase your risk for malignant melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer.  In recent decades, studies showing increased risk of skin cancer due to intense sun exposure have received more public attention than studies showing the benefits of vitamin D and safe, moderate sun exposure. This has developed into what some call Sun Scare, leading to sun avoidance by the public.  There has been little research looking at the effects that sun avoidance have on human health. We know that adequate vitamin D levels can help improve areas such as bone health, the immune system and the heart, but how might complete avoidance of the sun affect our health?  Recently, researchers out of Sweden conducted a study on Northern European women to determine the effects of sun avoidance on health.  The researchers looked at data from the Melanoma in Southern Sweden (MISS) study. The MISS study began in 1990 and included 29,518 women aged 25 to 64 years old. The women answered questions about risk factors for melanoma in 1990 and then again at a follow-ups in 2000 and 2011. The study aimed to compare the women\u2019s viewpoints on risk factors for melanoma with the actual development of cancer and mortality over the 20 year period.  In the current study, the researchers looked at data of all the women from the MISS study who had no previous history of cancer or any malignancy. They looked at questionnaire responses in 1990 and again at the follow-up in 2000.  Among other lifestyle questions, the women were asked to answer four yes-no questions regarding sun exposure habits. To measure total sun exposure, the researchers scored each woman\u2019s response by the number of times that they answered \u201cyes\u201d to these questions.  A score of 0 signified complete sun avoidance and a score of 4 signified the greatest amount of sun exposure.  The researchers wanted to know if avoiding the sun might affect the risk of all-cause mortality among the women.  After all data was collected and analyzed, the researchers found:   The mortality rate among women who avoided the sun was double compared to those with the highest sun exposure.  There was a dose-dependent inverse relationship between sun exposure and all-cause mortality. This means that the rate of all-cause mortality decreased with every increase in ratings of sun exposure.  The researchers concluded,  \u201cThe mortality rate was increased two-fold among avoiders of sun exposure as compared to those with the highest sun exposure habits. In this study focusing on avoidance of sun exposure, women with \u2018normal\u2019 sun exposure habits were not at significantly increased risk for MM or of MM-related death.\u201d  In this study, the researchers looked at women of northern European descent. Many women of this region have light skin, and therefore are more sensitive to the sun. Because the researchers only looked at northern European women, we don\u2019t know if these results would be the same in populations of different gender or ethnicity. Furthermore, the use of a questionnaire means that we don\u2019t know if sun exposure habits were accurately reported by the participants, and due to the observational design of the study, we don\u2019t know for sure if higher sun exposure decreases risk of mortality.  While this study cannot confirm that sun exposure reduces risk of mortality, it is more evidence that safe, moderate sun exposure is an effective way to produce vitamin D and maintain good health.  &nbsp;  &nbsp;  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\u2019t say in your tanning salon business.  \u00a9 2016 International Smart Tan Network. All rights reserved.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sun Avoidance: A Risk Factor for Mortality? - Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Jeff Nicklas, Vitamin D Council  In a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers found that avoiding sun exposure may increase the risk for all-cause mortality in women.  In past articles, we&#039;ve covered the positive and negative aspects of sun exposure. Safe, moderate sun exposure is the natural and best way to meet your body&#039;s requirements for vitamin D. On the other hand, intense, infrequent sun exposure may increase your risk for malignant melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer.  In recent decades, studies showing increased risk of skin cancer due to intense sun exposure have received more public attention than studies showing the benefits of vitamin D and safe, moderate sun exposure. This has developed into what some call Sun Scare, leading to sun avoidance by the public.  There has been little research looking at the effects that sun avoidance have on human health. We know that adequate vitamin D levels can help improve areas such as bone health, the immune system and the heart, but how might complete avoidance of the sun affect our health?  Recently, researchers out of Sweden conducted a study on Northern European women to determine the effects of sun avoidance on health.  The researchers looked at data from the Melanoma in Southern Sweden (MISS) study. The MISS study began in 1990 and included 29,518 women aged 25 to 64 years old. The women answered questions about risk factors for melanoma in 1990 and then again at a follow-ups in 2000 and 2011. The study aimed to compare the women\u2019s viewpoints on risk factors for melanoma with the actual development of cancer and mortality over the 20 year period.  In the current study, the researchers looked at data of all the women from the MISS study who had no previous history of cancer or any malignancy. They looked at questionnaire responses in 1990 and again at the follow-up in 2000.  Among other lifestyle questions, the women were asked to answer four yes-no questions regarding sun exposure habits. To measure total sun exposure, the researchers scored each woman\u2019s response by the number of times that they answered \u201cyes\u201d to these questions.  A score of 0 signified complete sun avoidance and a score of 4 signified the greatest amount of sun exposure.  The researchers wanted to know if avoiding the sun might affect the risk of all-cause mortality among the women.  After all data was collected and analyzed, the researchers found:   The mortality rate among women who avoided the sun was double compared to those with the highest sun exposure.  There was a dose-dependent inverse relationship between sun exposure and all-cause mortality. This means that the rate of all-cause mortality decreased with every increase in ratings of sun exposure.  The researchers concluded,  \u201cThe mortality rate was increased two-fold among avoiders of sun exposure as compared to those with the highest sun exposure habits. In this study focusing on avoidance of sun exposure, women with \u2018normal\u2019 sun exposure habits were not at significantly increased risk for MM or of MM-related death.\u201d  In this study, the researchers looked at women of northern European descent. Many women of this region have light skin, and therefore are more sensitive to the sun. Because the researchers only looked at northern European women, we don\u2019t know if these results would be the same in populations of different gender or ethnicity. Furthermore, the use of a questionnaire means that we don\u2019t know if sun exposure habits were accurately reported by the participants, and due to the observational design of the study, we don\u2019t know for sure if higher sun exposure decreases risk of mortality.  While this study cannot confirm that sun exposure reduces risk of mortality, it is more evidence that safe, moderate sun exposure is an effective way to produce vitamin D and maintain good health.  &nbsp;  &nbsp;  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\u2019t say in your tanning salon business.  \u00a9 2016 International Smart Tan Network. All rights reserved.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-07-08T14:02:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-07-08T14:02:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Umrellas-7-8-2016.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1361\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"smarttannews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"smarttannews\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"smarttannews\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/722dc7049af55e0ed743d67ce9ed4819\"},\"headline\":\"Sun Avoidance: A Risk Factor for Mortality?\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-08T14:02:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-07-08T14:02:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/\"},\"wordCount\":737,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Umrellas-7-8-2016.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/\",\"name\":\"Sun Avoidance: A Risk Factor for Mortality? - Smart Tan News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Umrellas-7-8-2016.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-08T14:02:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-07-08T14:02:30+00:00\",\"description\":\"By Jeff Nicklas, Vitamin D Council In a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers found that avoiding sun exposure may increase the risk for all-cause mortality in women. In past articles, we've covered the positive and negative aspects of sun exposure. Safe, moderate sun exposure is the natural and best way to meet your body's requirements for vitamin D. On the other hand, intense, infrequent sun exposure may increase your risk for malignant melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer. In recent decades, studies showing increased risk of skin cancer due to intense sun exposure have received more public attention than studies showing the benefits of vitamin D and safe, moderate sun exposure. This has developed into what some call Sun Scare, leading to sun avoidance by the public. There has been little research looking at the effects that sun avoidance have on human health. We know that adequate vitamin D levels can help improve areas such as bone health, the immune system and the heart, but how might complete avoidance of the sun affect our health? Recently, researchers out of Sweden conducted a study on Northern European women to determine the effects of sun avoidance on health. The researchers looked at data from the Melanoma in Southern Sweden (MISS) study. The MISS study began in 1990 and included 29,518 women aged 25 to 64 years old. The women answered questions about risk factors for melanoma in 1990 and then again at a follow-ups in 2000 and 2011. The study aimed to compare the women\u2019s viewpoints on risk factors for melanoma with the actual development of cancer and mortality over the 20 year period. In the current study, the researchers looked at data of all the women from the MISS study who had no previous history of cancer or any malignancy. They looked at questionnaire responses in 1990 and again at the follow-up in 2000. Among other lifestyle questions, the women were asked to answer four yes-no questions regarding sun exposure habits. To measure total sun exposure, the researchers scored each woman\u2019s response by the number of times that they answered \u201cyes\u201d to these questions. A score of 0 signified complete sun avoidance and a score of 4 signified the greatest amount of sun exposure. The researchers wanted to know if avoiding the sun might affect the risk of all-cause mortality among the women. After all data was collected and analyzed, the researchers found: The mortality rate among women who avoided the sun was double compared to those with the highest sun exposure. There was a dose-dependent inverse relationship between sun exposure and all-cause mortality. This means that the rate of all-cause mortality decreased with every increase in ratings of sun exposure. The researchers concluded, \u201cThe mortality rate was increased two-fold among avoiders of sun exposure as compared to those with the highest sun exposure habits. In this study focusing on avoidance of sun exposure, women with \u2018normal\u2019 sun exposure habits were not at significantly increased risk for MM or of MM-related death.\u201d In this study, the researchers looked at women of northern European descent. Many women of this region have light skin, and therefore are more sensitive to the sun. Because the researchers only looked at northern European women, we don\u2019t know if these results would be the same in populations of different gender or ethnicity. Furthermore, the use of a questionnaire means that we don\u2019t know if sun exposure habits were accurately reported by the participants, and due to the observational design of the study, we don\u2019t know for sure if higher sun exposure decreases risk of mortality. While this study cannot confirm that sun exposure reduces risk of mortality, it is more evidence that safe, moderate sun exposure is an effective way to produce vitamin D and maintain good health. &nbsp; &nbsp; 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\u2019t say in your tanning salon business. \u00a9 2016 International Smart Tan Network. 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In past articles, we've covered the positive and negative aspects of sun exposure. Safe, moderate sun exposure is the natural and best way to meet your body's requirements for vitamin D. On the other hand, intense, infrequent sun exposure may increase your risk for malignant melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer.  In recent decades, studies showing increased risk of skin cancer due to intense sun exposure have received more public attention than studies showing the benefits of vitamin D and safe, moderate sun exposure. This has developed into what some call Sun Scare, leading to sun avoidance by the public.  There has been little research looking at the effects that sun avoidance have on human health. We know that adequate vitamin D levels can help improve areas such as bone health, the immune system and the heart, but how might complete avoidance of the sun affect our health?  Recently, researchers out of Sweden conducted a study on Northern European women to determine the effects of sun avoidance on health.  The researchers looked at data from the Melanoma in Southern Sweden (MISS) study. The MISS study began in 1990 and included 29,518 women aged 25 to 64 years old. The women answered questions about risk factors for melanoma in 1990 and then again at a follow-ups in 2000 and 2011. The study aimed to compare the women\u2019s viewpoints on risk factors for melanoma with the actual development of cancer and mortality over the 20 year period.  In the current study, the researchers looked at data of all the women from the MISS study who had no previous history of cancer or any malignancy. They looked at questionnaire responses in 1990 and again at the follow-up in 2000.  Among other lifestyle questions, the women were asked to answer four yes-no questions regarding sun exposure habits. To measure total sun exposure, the researchers scored each woman\u2019s response by the number of times that they answered \u201cyes\u201d to these questions.  A score of 0 signified complete sun avoidance and a score of 4 signified the greatest amount of sun exposure.  The researchers wanted to know if avoiding the sun might affect the risk of all-cause mortality among the women.  After all data was collected and analyzed, the researchers found:   The mortality rate among women who avoided the sun was double compared to those with the highest sun exposure.  There was a dose-dependent inverse relationship between sun exposure and all-cause mortality. This means that the rate of all-cause mortality decreased with every increase in ratings of sun exposure.  The researchers concluded,  \u201cThe mortality rate was increased two-fold among avoiders of sun exposure as compared to those with the highest sun exposure habits. In this study focusing on avoidance of sun exposure, women with \u2018normal\u2019 sun exposure habits were not at significantly increased risk for MM or of MM-related death.\u201d  In this study, the researchers looked at women of northern European descent. Many women of this region have light skin, and therefore are more sensitive to the sun. Because the researchers only looked at northern European women, we don\u2019t know if these results would be the same in populations of different gender or ethnicity. Furthermore, the use of a questionnaire means that we don\u2019t know if sun exposure habits were accurately reported by the participants, and due to the observational design of the study, we don\u2019t know for sure if higher sun exposure decreases risk of mortality.  While this study cannot confirm that sun exposure reduces risk of mortality, it is more evidence that safe, moderate sun exposure is an effective way to produce vitamin D and maintain good health.  &nbsp;  &nbsp;  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\u2019t say in your tanning salon business.  \u00a9 2016 International Smart Tan Network. All rights reserved.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sun Avoidance: A Risk Factor for Mortality? - Smart Tan News","og_description":"By Jeff Nicklas, Vitamin D Council  In a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers found that avoiding sun exposure may increase the risk for all-cause mortality in women.  In past articles, we've covered the positive and negative aspects of sun exposure. Safe, moderate sun exposure is the natural and best way to meet your body's requirements for vitamin D. On the other hand, intense, infrequent sun exposure may increase your risk for malignant melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer.  In recent decades, studies showing increased risk of skin cancer due to intense sun exposure have received more public attention than studies showing the benefits of vitamin D and safe, moderate sun exposure. This has developed into what some call Sun Scare, leading to sun avoidance by the public.  There has been little research looking at the effects that sun avoidance have on human health. We know that adequate vitamin D levels can help improve areas such as bone health, the immune system and the heart, but how might complete avoidance of the sun affect our health?  Recently, researchers out of Sweden conducted a study on Northern European women to determine the effects of sun avoidance on health.  The researchers looked at data from the Melanoma in Southern Sweden (MISS) study. The MISS study began in 1990 and included 29,518 women aged 25 to 64 years old. The women answered questions about risk factors for melanoma in 1990 and then again at a follow-ups in 2000 and 2011. The study aimed to compare the women\u2019s viewpoints on risk factors for melanoma with the actual development of cancer and mortality over the 20 year period.  In the current study, the researchers looked at data of all the women from the MISS study who had no previous history of cancer or any malignancy. They looked at questionnaire responses in 1990 and again at the follow-up in 2000.  Among other lifestyle questions, the women were asked to answer four yes-no questions regarding sun exposure habits. To measure total sun exposure, the researchers scored each woman\u2019s response by the number of times that they answered \u201cyes\u201d to these questions.  A score of 0 signified complete sun avoidance and a score of 4 signified the greatest amount of sun exposure.  The researchers wanted to know if avoiding the sun might affect the risk of all-cause mortality among the women.  After all data was collected and analyzed, the researchers found:   The mortality rate among women who avoided the sun was double compared to those with the highest sun exposure.  There was a dose-dependent inverse relationship between sun exposure and all-cause mortality. This means that the rate of all-cause mortality decreased with every increase in ratings of sun exposure.  The researchers concluded,  \u201cThe mortality rate was increased two-fold among avoiders of sun exposure as compared to those with the highest sun exposure habits. In this study focusing on avoidance of sun exposure, women with \u2018normal\u2019 sun exposure habits were not at significantly increased risk for MM or of MM-related death.\u201d  In this study, the researchers looked at women of northern European descent. Many women of this region have light skin, and therefore are more sensitive to the sun. Because the researchers only looked at northern European women, we don\u2019t know if these results would be the same in populations of different gender or ethnicity. Furthermore, the use of a questionnaire means that we don\u2019t know if sun exposure habits were accurately reported by the participants, and due to the observational design of the study, we don\u2019t know for sure if higher sun exposure decreases risk of mortality.  While this study cannot confirm that sun exposure reduces risk of mortality, it is more evidence that safe, moderate sun exposure is an effective way to produce vitamin D and maintain good health.  &nbsp;  &nbsp;  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\u2019t say in your tanning salon business.  \u00a9 2016 International Smart Tan Network. All rights reserved.","og_url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/","og_site_name":"Smart Tan News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan","article_published_time":"2016-07-08T14:02:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-07-08T14:02:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1361,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Umrellas-7-8-2016.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"smarttannews","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SmartTan","twitter_site":"@SmartTan","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"smarttannews","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/"},"author":{"name":"smarttannews","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/722dc7049af55e0ed743d67ce9ed4819"},"headline":"Sun Avoidance: A Risk Factor for Mortality?","datePublished":"2016-07-08T14:02:09+00:00","dateModified":"2016-07-08T14:02:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/"},"wordCount":737,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Umrellas-7-8-2016.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/","name":"Sun Avoidance: A Risk Factor for Mortality? - Smart Tan News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Umrellas-7-8-2016.jpg","datePublished":"2016-07-08T14:02:09+00:00","dateModified":"2016-07-08T14:02:30+00:00","description":"By Jeff Nicklas, Vitamin D Council In a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers found that avoiding sun exposure may increase the risk for all-cause mortality in women. In past articles, we've covered the positive and negative aspects of sun exposure. Safe, moderate sun exposure is the natural and best way to meet your body's requirements for vitamin D. On the other hand, intense, infrequent sun exposure may increase your risk for malignant melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer. In recent decades, studies showing increased risk of skin cancer due to intense sun exposure have received more public attention than studies showing the benefits of vitamin D and safe, moderate sun exposure. This has developed into what some call Sun Scare, leading to sun avoidance by the public. There has been little research looking at the effects that sun avoidance have on human health. We know that adequate vitamin D levels can help improve areas such as bone health, the immune system and the heart, but how might complete avoidance of the sun affect our health? Recently, researchers out of Sweden conducted a study on Northern European women to determine the effects of sun avoidance on health. The researchers looked at data from the Melanoma in Southern Sweden (MISS) study. The MISS study began in 1990 and included 29,518 women aged 25 to 64 years old. The women answered questions about risk factors for melanoma in 1990 and then again at a follow-ups in 2000 and 2011. The study aimed to compare the women\u2019s viewpoints on risk factors for melanoma with the actual development of cancer and mortality over the 20 year period. In the current study, the researchers looked at data of all the women from the MISS study who had no previous history of cancer or any malignancy. They looked at questionnaire responses in 1990 and again at the follow-up in 2000. Among other lifestyle questions, the women were asked to answer four yes-no questions regarding sun exposure habits. To measure total sun exposure, the researchers scored each woman\u2019s response by the number of times that they answered \u201cyes\u201d to these questions. A score of 0 signified complete sun avoidance and a score of 4 signified the greatest amount of sun exposure. The researchers wanted to know if avoiding the sun might affect the risk of all-cause mortality among the women. After all data was collected and analyzed, the researchers found: The mortality rate among women who avoided the sun was double compared to those with the highest sun exposure. There was a dose-dependent inverse relationship between sun exposure and all-cause mortality. This means that the rate of all-cause mortality decreased with every increase in ratings of sun exposure. The researchers concluded, \u201cThe mortality rate was increased two-fold among avoiders of sun exposure as compared to those with the highest sun exposure habits. In this study focusing on avoidance of sun exposure, women with \u2018normal\u2019 sun exposure habits were not at significantly increased risk for MM or of MM-related death.\u201d In this study, the researchers looked at women of northern European descent. Many women of this region have light skin, and therefore are more sensitive to the sun. Because the researchers only looked at northern European women, we don\u2019t know if these results would be the same in populations of different gender or ethnicity. Furthermore, the use of a questionnaire means that we don\u2019t know if sun exposure habits were accurately reported by the participants, and due to the observational design of the study, we don\u2019t know for sure if higher sun exposure decreases risk of mortality. While this study cannot confirm that sun exposure reduces risk of mortality, it is more evidence that safe, moderate sun exposure is an effective way to produce vitamin D and maintain good health. &nbsp; &nbsp; 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\u2019t say in your tanning salon business. \u00a9 2016 International Smart Tan Network. All rights reserved.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Umrellas-7-8-2016.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Umrellas-7-8-2016.jpg","width":1361,"height":1000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/is-sun-avoidance-a-risk-factor-for-mortality\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sun Avoidance: A Risk Factor for Mortality?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/","name":"Smart Tan News","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization","name":"Smart Tan","url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/smarttan.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Smart-Tan.png","width":500,"height":164,"caption":"Smart Tan"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan","https:\/\/x.com\/SmartTan"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/722dc7049af55e0ed743d67ce9ed4819","name":"smarttannews","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0189f76465f47ce293287354f8076bfdb83130e65538eb34fcd2cd44e9f0e53?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0189f76465f47ce293287354f8076bfdb83130e65538eb34fcd2cd44e9f0e53?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0189f76465f47ce293287354f8076bfdb83130e65538eb34fcd2cd44e9f0e53?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"smarttannews"},"url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/author\/smarttannews\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18259"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18262,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18259\/revisions\/18262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}