Here's another goodie from The Healthy Foodie's archives.

Well, summer is finally starting to show it's face, or at least giving us a little hint of things to come, so I figured I should talk about sunscreen. But I had to stop and ponder before doing this post. I get accused, from time to time, of fear-mongering and promoting an "everything is going to kill you" attitude. I don't mean to come across this way and I'm trying to, perhaps, soften my delivery a bit. The fact is, I don't feel everything is going to kill you. Quite the opposite, in fact. I simply feel that we've gotten ourselves into a situation here on planet Earth where the "bottom line" is valued over and above what is best for the planet and it's inhabitants. As a result, it's necessary for us, as consumers, to stay aware of the dangers that exist out there and how we can best avoid them.

That being said, your sunscreen is going to kill you.

Heh, just kidding. But again, we have a situation here where an industry has grown around a particular ingredient that we later find out is toxic and should be avoided. The Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. published a study in March that has shown that a toxic chemical in many sunscreens called oxybenzone, linked to allergies, hormone disruption and cell damage, is present in 97% of Americans.

What's more, oxybenzone, also known as benzophenone-3, is a component of 84% of the 910 sunscreens examined by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. who work to inform the public of harmful products and to make policy change in Washington. Check out the site EWG have created called Skin Deep which is a cosmetics safety database. It rates sunscreens and other cosmetics on the safety of their ingredients and the effectiveness of the products themselves. A truly valuable resource.

And while we're on the topic of sunscreen we should look at the nature of the beast itself. Sunscreen does what it's name suggests - it blocks the sun from reaching your skin. This is for the purpose of preventing skin damage in the form of sunburn or, more severely, skin cancer. But one of the problems with blocking the sun is that sun exposure is necessary in order to produce vitamin D. Vitamin D is made by the body when ultraviolet radiation from sunlight reacts with the cholesterol in your skin (that's right - you need cholesterol to make vitamin D). Sunblock stops, or at the very least decreases this reaction from occurring, possibly resulting in Vitamin D deficiency. (It should be pointed out, however, that this is a controversial statement. It is currently hotly debated as to whether sunscreen has a significant effect on vitamin D production - some doctors claim it does while the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) maintains it's stance that sunscreen does not significantly reduce vitamin D production. Of course the majority of AAD officers have financial ties to sunscreen manufacturers. I'll let you be the judge on that one).

Ironically, research is now linking low levels of vitamin D to cancer. New research out of Germany published in the Carcinogenesis medical journal found that women with low levels of vitamin D in their blood had a significantly greater risk of contracting breast cancer. Other studies have found vitamin D supplementation to significantly cut risk of colon cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer. Dr. Edward Giovannucci, MD told National Public Radio's Patricia Neighmond that an estimated 30 people may die of cancers related to vitamin D deficiency for every one who dies from skin cancers caused by excessive sun exposure.

Now, I'm not suggesting that you stop using sunscreen altogether and go and hang out in the sun all day. There are many products listed on the EWG site I posted above that are safe and effective and you obviously want to stay protected from burns. What I am suggesting is moderate sun exposure. Many would have you believe that any amount of sunshine is going to increase your risk of cancer. Sunlight is the source of all life on the planet. Hiding yourself away from it is counter to life. To me this seems like common sense.

If you find that you're burning with very minimal sun exposure, you may need to increase the antioxidants in your diet. Certain antioxidants, particularly astaxanthin found in microalgae, yeast, salmon, trout, some shell fish and crustaceans, boost your body's natural resistance to UV damage. Along these lines, researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have found that the application of an extract from broccoli sprouts will increase the body's natural defenses against UV skin damage, providing increased protection from the sun without blocking vitamin D production. Perhaps this is where the future of sunscreens are heading. Dr. Joseph Mercola of mercola.com fame recommends making sure the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats consumed be as close to 1:1 as is possible (most North Americans consume closer to a 15:1 ratio) in order to prevent melanoma without applying any sunscreen which he strongly advises against using.

So this week, rather than more of the "everything is going to kill you" philosophy, I'm telling you something that is not going to kill you - sun. 15 minutes at a time during the day of unprotected sun exposure, outside of the sun's peak hours from 10 - 2, should be enough to keep you healthy without letting you burn. But also keep in mind that the darker the natural pigment of your skin, the more sun exposure you need to get sufficient vitamin D production. People with darker skin need, on average, 6 times more sun exposure than those with fairer skin to make the same amount of vitamin D.


The Healthy Foodie is Doug DiPasquale, Holistic Nutritionist and trained chef, living in Toronto. You can email him with questions at dugdeep@gmail.com.