I hope you all enjoyed a good dose of sunshine over the Easter weekend because it might just save your life!
According to a recent Swedish study, avoiding the sun “is a risk factor for death of a similar magnitude as smoking”.
Wow!
The report goes on to say, “We know in our population, there are three big lifestyle factors [that endanger health]: smoking, being overweight, and inactivity. Now we know there is a fourth – avoiding sun exposure.”
Pelle Lindqvist, MD, of Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, Sweden, and colleagues found that women who seek out the sun were generally at lower risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and non-cancer/non-CVD diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis and pulmonary diseases, than those who avoided sun exposure.
Rejoice! Surely that means for Queenslanders, where we enjoy an average of 261 sunny days (2920 hours) each year, our risk must be close to zero. I’m wondering if the study took into consideration the meagre amount of sunshine the Swedes enjoy, just 1821 hours each year.
But before we shake out the towel out for another couple of hours of sun worship, we should consider our own climate and the increased risk of skin cancer that comes with increased sun exposure.
“We did find an increased risk of … skin cancer. However, the skin cancers that occurred in those exposing themselves to the sun had better prognosis,” Dr Lindqvist said.
OK, so what about vitamin D, don’t we need to get more of this?
“The results add to the longstanding debate on the role of vitamin D in health and the amount of it people need, but this study doesn’t resolve the question.”
I would conclude that we stick to our mantra of “everything in moderation”. Now, where is my stash of Easter eggs?
Adele Blair is the CEO of The Concierge Collective, a director of Institute of Concierge and Lifestyle Managers, author, speaker and educator.