An important key to good health is having the tools and materials for our hardworking body systems to do their job and keep us healthy and good looking. That’s the goal!
I am not a health professional but , Vitamin D has been in the news in the past year or two, touted as a cancer preventative and just generally, a very important unsung hero that can make you feel better. While Vitamin D supplements now abound, the best way to get Vitamin D (which is not really a vitamin, but a hormone, apparently), is from being out in the sun.
Ironically, over the last 30 years or so, we have been warned away from the sun and encouraged to slather all manner of sunscreen products on before baring our skin in June, July and August (and probably May, too).
Because of the amount of sunscreen product that is used to keep backs, necks, faces etc. covered, it is important that the product be safe. Skin is, after all, our largest organ, at between 20 and 22 square feet or nearly 2 square metres.
According to research by The Environmental Working Group (non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment), research warns about a preservative chemical, methylisothiazolinone, listed on many sunscreen labels (94 brands in the USA in 2014), including some marketed to children. The problem with this chemical, sometimes listed on hypoallergenic products is, methylisothiazolinone is a skin sensitizer or allergen.
So what can we do?
According to information published in the Scientific American, even getting a good suntan gradually is not much protection from getting sunburn. “A base tan only provides an SPF 3 or less, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.”
So a good tan may apparently add only 10 or 20 minutes of protection before burning. That seems hard for me to believe, as someone who rarely ever wears sunscreen and in my farming days, spent hours in the sun. And I’m fair skinned.
But did you know, your diet can influence how your skin responds to sun?
According to naturalnews.com, astaxanthin is an antioxidant that makes salmon red and flamingos pink, and it is very good for us. It is a member of the carotenoid family, a group of plant chemicals that has been protecting plants for thousands of years.
Astaxanthin is a proven natural preventative of sunburn, but it is not yet evident how much of the antioxidant needs to be present in the body to provide reliable protection. Taking a natural astaxanthin supplement is said to improve the body's ability to prevent sunburn.
However, according to other research, (Beta-carotene effective as sunburn protector: meta-analysis, by Stephen Daniells), “Oral supplements of beta-carotene may protect against sunburn, and the longer the supplementation period the greater the protection.” (www.nutraingredients.com)
So, have a carrot, get some sun, and if you are slightly pink – you are done.
