Does Sun Phobia Promote Cancer?

After a young woman developed melanoma skin cancer in Australia following frequent visits to a sun tanning parlor, health officials there have banned use of these UV-ray treatments for children under the age of 16. But will this practice really reduce the rate of skin cancer, and if it does, will it spawn other forms of cancer because of a lack of vitamin D?

Simultaneously, researchers report that 10-15 minutes of sun exposure will prevent hundreds of thousands of cases of breast and colon cancer annually. Cedric F. Garland, cancer prevention specialist at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego estimates 250,000 cases of colorectal cancer and 350,000 cases of breast cancer could be prevented worldwide by increasing intake of vitamin D3, particularly in countries north of the equator. Vitamin D3 is available through diet, supplements and exposure of the skin to sunlight. [Nutrition Reviews August 2007]

At the same time the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has issued a bulletin claiming labeling of topical sunscreens is incomplete because the labels don't indicate the amount of UV-A radiation they filter. Sunscreens are labeled for their ability to block UV-B radiation, the type of sun rays that produce vitamin D in the skin.

The FDA acknowledges that there is no scientific evidence that using sunscreen prevents skin cancer. To learn why cancer rates soared, beginning with the widespread use of sunscreen lotions in 1971, read the book "You Don't Have To Be Afraid Of Cancer Anymore."