How can skin be damaged by solar UV radiation?
Vitamin D is produced when skin is exposed to a type of solar UV radiation (UVB). This vitamin, that many people do not produce sufficiently, is essential for maintaining healthy muscles and bones and a lack of it can result in rickets. Vitamin D may also be important in other aspects of health, such as the prevention of autoimmune disorders and several internal tumours, and may help improve outcome from cancer. However, more data are needed to determine the actual role of vitamin D in those health aspects, and its association with exposure to UV radiation. Exposure to sunlight may thus have widespread beneficial effects but it seems likely that these beneficial effects would also be achieved by eating foods rich in vitamin D or taking adequate levels of vitamin D supplements. More…
