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    Sunlight 'could reduce lung cancer risk'

    Posted on 18/12/2007

    Moderate exposure to sunlight may help to reduce the risk of lung cancer, a new study has shown.

    Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) found that the incidence of lung cancer was lower at the equator where there is more sunlight, and in particular more UVB light.

    In the study of cases in 111 countries, smoking tobacco was confirmed to have by far the strongest association with lung cancer, accounting for between 75% and 85% of cases.

    However, the research adds weight to previous research that suggested vitamin D, which can be provided through the skin's exposure to the sun, also plays a part.

    Both the UCSD researchers and health campaigners in the UK have been quick to stress that exposure to sunlight should be moderate to avoid an increased risk of the worst skin cancers.

    Dr Kat Arney of Cancer Research UK warned that the study had not measured individuals' levels of vitamin D, and that the link between the vitamin and lung cancer was still unclear.

    'We know that vitamin D is essential for good health, but the time in the sun needed to get enough vitamin D is much less than the time it takes to tan or burn,' she told BBC News.

    The UCSD paper is published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.



    Category: Healthy Lifestyle


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