There’s new research out which looks at the paradox of women who sunbathe vs women who don’t, and their life expectancy. You may be be surprised to hear that those who sunbathe are likely to live longer than those who avoid the sun, even though we’ve always been told sunbathers are at an increased risk of developing skin cancer.

The study looked at 29,518 Swedish women who were followed for 20 years. While those with active sun exposure habits had a longer life expectancy, it was related to a decrease in heart disease and noncancer/non-heart disease deaths.

Researchers aren’t sure whether the positive effect of sun exposure shown in this observational study is mediated by vitamin D (which is SO IMPORTANT FOR HEALTH), another mechanism related to UV radiation, or by some other unmeasured bias, so more study is needed.

 

Source: Science Daily