ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Cancer Monthly , a cancer patient advocacy magazine, has published yet another article linking sun exposure (including UV-B exposure which can be derived from indoor tanning in tanning salons) to a reduced cancer risk.

The article, published in March 2009, cites a recent study published in the Annals of Epidemiology (Grant WB, Mohr SB. Ecological studies of ultraviolet B, vitamin D and cancer since 2000. Annals of Epidemiology, 2009) that found strong associations between vitamin D deficiencies (we get vitamin D from the sun and UV-B sources like indoor tanning) and various cancers, particularly colon, and breast cancer.

Dr. William B. Grant, Director of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center (SUNARC) and a prominent researcher on vitamin D, says there are 14 different types of cancer that can be linked to UV-B exposure deficiencies. And since vitamin D is rare in the food supply, often added as a fortified supplement, most people can only obtain about 200-300 IU of the vitamin on a daily basis through diet (a fraction of what’s needed). Meanwhile, even just a small amount of UV-B exposure (5-10 minutes) can produce 1,500 to 4,000 IU of the crucial vitamin.

According to the article, there are also strong links between vitamin D deficiencies and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, ovarian cancer, and kidney cancer. As we have also detailed in our blog, researchers have also found connections between vitamin D and "a reduced incidence of other diseases," such as colds and flu, coronary heart disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure.

Though Dr. Grant recommends taking a vitamin D supplement during the winter months, indoor tanning in tanning salons can actually replicate those same vitamin-D providing UV-B rays as the natural sun.

You can read the full article Cancer Monthly article here.