Michael F. Holick - UV Advantage, 2nd Edition

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Holick, M.F. (Michael F.)

The UV advantage: new medical breakthroughs reveal powerful health benefits from sun exposure and tanning / Michael Holick and Mark Jenkins. 2nd ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-59687-900-3

1. Solar radiationHealth aspectsPopular works. I. Jenkins, Mark. II. Title: Ultraviolet advantage. [DNLM: 1. SunlightPopular Works. 2. Vitamin DbiosynthesisPopular Works. QT 230 H732u 2003]
QP82.2.L5
613'.193dc21

H635
2003002114

Copyright 2003 by Michael Holick and Mark Jenkins
Illustrations by Michael Tanamachi
Photographs by the Somme Institute
Author photo by David Keough, Educational Media,
Boston University Medical Center

First Trade Paper Edition, April 2009

Dedicated to the memory of my good friend Don Christal, who championed heliotherapy and had a true appreciation of the benefits of sunlight.

CONTENTS

Why you need sunlight, and how you got conned into thinking it was bad for you

Why the statement sunlight causes cancer is overstated, and how to harness the sun for health

How to avoid wrinkles and other skin problems and still get the health benefits of sunshine

The good news about the healing power of the sun

How sunlight affects your psychological health and sleep patterns

Exploring other sources of vitamin D: Diet, supplements, and artificial sunlight

Learning to use sunshine as good medicine in everyday life

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T his book would not have come into being without the involvement of many family members, friends and colleagues.

I am especially grateful to my wife Sally Ann and our children, Michael Todd and Emily Ann, for their support and understanding during the time-consuming process of creating a book of this complexity.

Thanks also to my coauthor Mark Jenkins, my literary agent Carol Mann, as well as all others who were involved in the making of this book.

Of course I am indebted to the numerous technicians, students, fellows, and colleagues with whom I have collaborated over the years in the field of photobiology. I am particularly appreciative of the assistance, counsel and inspiration given to me by Dr. John Adams, Dr. Mary Allen, Dr. George Brainard, Dr. Tai Chen, Dr. Farhad Chimeh, Dr. Thomas Clemens, Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes, Sheila DeCastro, R.N., Dr. Hector DeLuca, Diane Digirolamo, R.N., Dr. Cerima Durokovic, Dr. Gary Ferguson, Drs. Cedric and Frank Garland, Dr. William Gehrmann, Dr. Barbara Gilchrest, Dr. William Grant, Ms. Nancy Hanafin, Dr. Robert Heaney, Mr. Daniel Jamieson, Dr. Ernst Jung, Dr. David Kenney, Dr. Douglas Kiel, Dr. Albert Kligman, Dr. Loren Kline, Dr. Polyxeni Koutkia, Dr. Rolfdieter Krause, Mona Lauture, R.N., Mr. Joe Levy, Dr. Clifford Lo, Dr. Zhiren Lu, Dr. Alan Malabanan, Dr. Trond Marksted, Mr. Jeffrey Mathieu, Dr. Lois Matsuoko, Dr. Carlos Mautalen, Ms. Julia McLaughlin, Janeen McNeil, R.N., Dr. Carolyn Moore, Barbara Nayak, R.N., Mr. John Overstreet, Dr. John Parrish, Dr. Ralf Paus, Dr. Alberto Perez, Mr. Kelly Persons, Dr. John Pettifor, Dr. John T. Potts, Jr., Dr. Rahul Ray, Mrs. Swapna Ray, Dr. Jorg Reichrath, Mr. Jack Reilly, Dr. Clifford Rosen, Mr. Matt Russell, Dr. Gary Schwartz, Mr. Jim Shepherd, Mrs. Elizabeth Southworth, Ms. Catherine St. Clair, Dr. Mark St. Lezin, Dr. Vin Tangpricha, Dr. Xiao Tian, Dr. Duane Ulrey, Dr. Ann Webb, Mr. Lyman Whitlatch, Mr. Frederic Wolff, Mr. Jrg Wolff, Dr. Jacobo Wortsman, Michele Wright-Nealand, Dr. Michael Young, and Dr. Susie Zanello.

PREFACE

I T HAPPENED AGAIN the other day. I was in a hotel elevator and overheard a woman telling her companion how much she loved to be in the sun but she couldnt anymore because it would kill her. Its the kind of thing I hear all the time, and it is what inspired me to write this book.

My goal is to help put societys attitude toward sunlight into proper perspective. Ive been researching this subject for many years, and institutions from NASA to the National Zoo have come to me for advice. Ive successfully treated a variety of serious diseases with exposure to the kind of radiation thats in sunlight (UVB), including osteoporosis, osteomalacia, high blood pressure, and psoriasis. Results of my studies have been published in major scientific and medical journals.

Most people have taken my support of moderate sun exposure to mean I advocate tanning. Not true. Do I lie out in the sun for hours at a time or frequent tanning salons? No. Do I go out in strong sunshine without a sunscreen on, and does my skin get tanned? Yes. Why? Because I recognize that my body needs a certain amount of sun exposure to be healthy. Do I put sunscreen on after a certain amount of time? Yes. Why? Because I understand that there are risks as well as benefits associated with being in the sun. I recently ran into that poster boy for tanning, George Hamilton. When he found out I was an advocate of sun exposure, he jokingly commented that my skin was so pale he could see his reflection in it!

I am advocating common sense, something often in short supply in modern Americas approach to health. I also respect your right to do something that may make you look and feel better. I believe I can help you make choices that will pursue this goal in a healthier, more effective way. Our society doesnt seem to believe in a happy medium, only in extremes. Do not be afraidyou are not going to die just because you go out in the sun. Indeed, the UVB radiation in sunlight is essential for good health. The notion that we have to protect ourselves from the sun all the time is misguided and unhealthy. This sun phobia explains why so many people are suffering from conditions related to sun deprivation.

Part of the problem is that our national health leaders have lost faith in the publics ability to make informed decisions about health. Their attitude seems to be: We cant trust the public to be judicious in its attitude toward sun exposure, so lets tell people they shouldnt spend any time in the sun. The problem with this presumptuous approach is that eliminating sun exposure is out-and-out un healthy. Lack of sunlight is associated with a host of conditions from colon, breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer to heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and depression. Many of these policymakers are out of touch with new research and are unfamiliar with the growing body of evidence that shows how important sunlight is to human health.

Your overall well-being depends in part on developing an appropriate relationship with the sun. However, it can be a challenge to get the kind of information you need to establish such a relationship. The main purpose of this book is to provide you with an unbiased understanding of the issues at hand. Equipped with this information, you will be able to make your own decision about what your relationship to the sun should be. You, too, can learn to use sunlight for health.