Spring is here and summer is on its way. For most people that means they will be enjoying the outdoors and the sunshine. While the sun has gotten some bad press, and rightly so in some cases, it is beneficial to our health and as with most things in life, moderation is the key.

The combination of sunshine and cholesterol allows our body to make its own Vitamin D. Proper levels of Vitamin D have been shown to reduce the possibility of cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, and other serious health problems. It has been shown that 15-20 minutes of daily sun exposure to a majority of your body will help boost your Vitamin D levels. While this may do the trick during the sunny months we can also supplement our diet with Vitamin D. The best supplement of vitamin D is labeled as Vitamin D3. This is the form that is most usable by the body. For the proper amount, ask your doctor to test your levels.

After you have received your daily dose of sunshine and Vitamin D therapy, it is now time to protect yourself from the harmful aspects of the sun’s rays. This is important because more than one million people will be diagnosed with non-malignant skin cancer this year, and 60,000 will be diagnosed with malignant skin cancer. Most people will turn to sun screen for help. While this seems a natural option, it is important to use caution. There are really only two types of sunscreen, one is harmful, and the other is helpful.

The first type of sunscreen protects by absorbing the rays before they get to your skin and releasing them out away from the skin. While this sounds like a great option it is not. The chemicals used to absorb the rays get broken down by the rays and become harmful to the body. They last between 30 minutes and 2 hours and then stop providing protection. They are in a class called endocrine disrupting chemicals. We are exposed to these chemicals not only by sunscreen, but also other cosmetics, hygiene products and by drinking from plastic bottles on a daily basis. These chemicals can change how hormones are made and used by the body. They can cause multiple breakdowns through the processes of growth, development, reproduction and general health. Not only that, but most of these types of sunscreens do not protect from the cancer producing rays called UVA. In fact, the FDA does not regulate any sunscreen to protect you from UVA rays. They only regulate that the sunscreen protects you from UVB rays, which causes sunburns, but do not cause skin cancer.

The second type of sunscreen works by reflecting the rays away from you using small particles of zinc or titanium. This provides 20% or more protection from the UVA cancer causing rays and these sunscreens do not breakdown or expose you to the amount of endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Since sun exposure is inevitable, I recommend going to the Environmental Working Group website and find the sunscreen safety guide. They are a nonprofit organization who provided much of this information and strives to provide accurate health information through research.  Additionally, a portion of the proceeds are reinvested into future research.

So enjoy the outdoors and get your necessary Vitamin D.  But respect the sun by enjoying it in moderation and protecting your health with the proper sunscreen and appropriate clothing.