SUNBATHING could improve the health of pasty Brits, a study suggests. Experts from Edinburgh University reckon the benefits of extra UV rays for the sun-starved among us outweigh the risks of getting sunburn. They said people in the “lower light environments” of Scotland and the North are especially in need.
Sunlight is known to improve health by replenishing vitamin D, reducing stress and lowering blood pressure. Data from 395,000 people in the UK found beach bums in Cornwall had 19 per cent lower rates of heart disease and 12 per cent less cancer than city dwellers in Glasgow or Edinburgh. The study, in the journal Health and Place, suggests southerners get a health boost from greater exposure to UV light.
Read more Health News It even found that using sunbeds – which can cause skin cancer, according to Cancer Research UK and the World Health Organization – appeared to reduce the risk of an early death. Professor Richard Weller said: “Dermatologists have traditionally only considered possible harm to the skin caused by sunlight. “When the UV index is very high, protecting skin is important.
“However, this research shows that in the UK, the balance of benefit and risk from sunlight exposure is probably very different from that in sunnier countries.” Most read in Health News Daylight hours are longer as you go further south and the Met Office says the weather tends to be warmer and drier. Figures show Manchester has one of the gloomiest climates in Europe, wit.