ETS Tanning Bed Blog

There's a strong statistical link between Vitamin D deficiencies and breast cancer, says William B. Grant, Ph.D., in his March 2004 essay. The essay was featured on the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center website .

Grant's research showed that more than 200,000 women across the United States get breast cancer yearly with diet and lifestyle being the two determining risk factors. Proper diet and exercise can help reduce the risk of breast cancer, however a key benefit is getting plenty of vitamin D. Grant's analysis says that the breast cancer risk could be cut in half by sufficient vitamin D levels.

He states that dietary sources of vitamin D are not adequate to be beneficial and instead people should get their source of vitamin D from the sun, supplements, or from artificial UVB exposure. Proper exposure to the sun provides the body with the vitamin D it needs to help prevent not only breast cancer, but other cancers, heart disease, stroke and depression. Make no mistake, the best way to get vitamin D is through the sun. Unfortunately, time constraints and weather, especially the cold, dark winter months prevent many people from taking advantage of the healthy benefits of the sun. When sunshine is at a minimum, a trip to the tanning salon is a tempting opportunity for many.

The question is can a tanning bed offer the same benefits as the sun and could it be a factor in the reduction of breast cancer?

Some researchers say the best way to get benefits is to have a moderate exposure to sunlight. That could be no more than five to 10 minutes on your body. According to research by Michael Holick, who has done years of research on the subject of vitamin D, exposure to tanning beds increased pre-vitamin D. Continued exposure led to even more increases and thus could lead to a reduction in breast cancer.

Although we get vitamin D from the sun and its rays, overexposure could prove damaging so we have to use caution and limit our exposure to the sun. Plus, with our busy schedules and cold weather, it's not always possible to get outside. That's where tanning beds can be helpful. Studies have shown that moderate exposure to UV, including UV from indoor tanning beds, may produce vitamin D.

Grant does state that insufficient evidence exists to link sunbed use to risk of melanoma for other than those with skin phenotype I. It is accurate to say that indoor sunbeds provide an alternative way for individuals to obtain ultraviolet exposure in a responsible and controlled fashion if spending time outdoors in the sun isn't possible or convenient.