When we sunbathe, we feel totally guilty: Wrinkles and skin cancer are imminent. And we put on sunscreen, which must be at least factor 30. That's right in principle, because sun cream really does protect against skin cancer. But without sunlight, all life on earth dies. Plants grow faster with UV rays, chickens lay more eggs and humans also thrive better when they get sunlight. Various studies have now shown this.
Bone softening threatens without sunlight
In the age of industrialization, many people and especially children suffered from rickets - softening of the bones. This happened because they only worked in windowless factories and lived in gloomy cellars. They hardly ever saw the sun. But sunlight produces vitamin D in the skin - which we need to bind calcium and store it in our bones. Without vitamin D, bones become brittle and deformed, leading to the risk of osteoporosis.
Strictly avoiding UV rays is harmful
And that's not all. A Swedish long-term study of 30,000 women over 20 years has shown that Those who don't go out in the sun have a similar risk of cancer as smokers. 1,700 participants, or just under six percent, did not go out in the sun at all - these women died up to two years earlier than the women who went out in the sun as often as possible.
It sounds paradoxical, but: sun can protect against skin cancer
Researchers from Dresden and Ulm came to the following conclusion: a little sun can even protect against skin cancer. In a study, they compared 500 skin cancer patients with a control group. Healthy participants were outside in the sun more often as children and adults. The scientists therefore assume that the skin loses its ability to build up natural sun protection if it is not sufficiently accustomed to the sun. This is because when you are exposed to the sun, a fine thickening of the cornea, known as a light callus, forms alongside the tan. This can protect against skin cancer.
20 minutes of direct radiation lowers blood pressure
Sunbathing also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a Scottish study. Blood pressure fell in test subjects who spent 20 minutes a day in the sun. How much sun is necessary to lower blood pressure in the long term is still unclear.