A fascinating article from Outside highlighting the shortsighted arrogance that underlies so much of what we call “modern” medicine.

Dermatologist and researcher Richard Weller has documented very compelling evidence of the sun’s unique ability to reduce blood pressure, critical to minimizing one’s risk of stroke, kidney disease, and a host of other maladies. The health benefits of sun exposure, however, have been overshadowed by warnings from the medical community about the horrors of skin cancer. Better to stay inside and take your vitamin D.

But the numbers don’t square:

For every person who dies of skin cancer, more than 100 die from cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Weller is not alone. Pelle Lindqvist, a senior research fellow in obstetrics and gynecology at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, home of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, tracked the sunbathing habits of nearly 30,000 women in Sweden over 20 years. Those who avoided the sun were twice as likely to die compared to those who enjoyed regular exposure.

And yes, those who spent more time outside were more likely to get melanoma, but they were eight times less likely to die from it.

Dr. Weller has this to say:

“Homo sapiens have been around for 200,000 years. Until the industrial revolution, we lived outside. How did we get through the Neolithic Era without sunscreen? Actually, perfectly well. What’s counterintuitive is that dermatologists run around saying, ‘Don’t go outside, you might die.’”

Our African ancestors thrived under the sun. Their skin produced plenty of melanin, a natural protectant that reduces the risk of skin cancer while allowing for the full cardiovascular benefit of exposure. As humans migrated away from the equator and all of its abundant sunlight, we produced less melanin to allow for more absorption during darker months. And since we were still spending most of our time outside, we would gradually warm into nice, protective tans as we moved into spring and summer.

With the industrial revolution and the scuttling of our species into offices and factories, our skin lost this protective adaptability and now those of us with lighter skin burn on exposure. That’s where the risk of skin damage and illness happens.

And this is where dermatologists tell us to slather on the sunscreen, regardless of skin color. But sunscreen was developed to protect the whitest people. The problem is that the African American community is disproportionately affected by cardiovascular illness, diabetes, and other diseases that seem to improve with sun exposure. Sunscreen does almost nothing to protect this population, and there is an argument that its use may enhance the risk of the above-mentioned morbidities.

If you have the tendency to burn, there is every reason to be cautious. But limiting our time outside has proven to be enormously detrimental on a number of fronts. We need to rethink this.

There is so much more to learn. Do yourself a favor and read the article.

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