A new study has suggested something off the beaten track. While we have been told periodically about the link between skin cancer and too much sunshine, a new study has shown that the sun might actually protect against the disease.
Researchers at the Stanford University have discovered that basking in the sun can help the body fight against skin diseases and cancer, by drawing immune cells to the surface of the skin.
However, moderation is the key. Over exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays could elevate the risk of skin cancer. The crucial factor is getting optimum ultraviolet B (UVB) light which the skin could assimilate, in order to activate a Vitamin-D induced immune reaction.
Marianne Berwick, a skin cancer researcher and chief of epidemiology at the University of New Mexico's Cancer Research and Treatment Center said, "I do think that a little bit of sunlight is good for people, but I think that one of the problems that the American Cancer Society and dermatologists have is, how do you define what a little bit is?"
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, basking in the sun for about half an hour to one hour or consuming about 400 daily IU's of Vitamin D is sufficient for a person to avoid the risk of skin diseases.