RESEARCH has shown a definite link between higher vitamin
D levels and improved cognitive health and mental-emotional
wellbeing. For this reason, it makes sense that higher
amounts of UVB from sunshine exposure, which generates
vitamin D in the body, would also be related to improved
mood and cognition.
However, there are so many ways through which exposure to
sunlight can boost our mood and benefit our mind, besides
those related to increased vitamin D levels!
SUNLIGHT INITIATES THE RELEASE OF “FEEL-GOOD”
CHEMICALS IN THE BODY
In addition to producing vitamin D, sunlight or UVB exposure
results in the release of beta-endorphins, which are naturally
occurring opioids that promote mood enhancement,
relaxation, and pain relief. Nitric oxide, which is produced
upon exposure to UVA from sunlight, has been shown
to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, resulting in
decreased anxiety and depression. The release of melatonin
and serotonin is also prompted with sun exposure, both of
which are associated with sleep regulation, improved mood,
and easing anxiety.
Dopamine is another chemical in the body that is released
upon exposure to sunshine. Dopamine, AKA the “feel-good
neurotransmitter,” is known to boost mood and motivation,
and is also linked to reduced depression and anxiety. A study
evaluating the correlation between dopamine and sunshine,
by Tsai et al., found that dopamine receptor availability was
significantly greater among participants with the highest
amount of sunshine exposure compared to the lowest,
indicating a sensitivity of the dopamine system to variations in
the amount of sun exposure a person gets.
BUILT-IN REWARD SYSTEM IN THE BODY FOR SUN-SEEKING
BEHAVIOR AND UVB-INDUCED VITAMIN D SYNTHESIS
Recent research has identified an “endogenous opioid-
mediated addiction-like pathway,” or a built-in feedback loop
between vitamin D levels and sun seeking behavior, triggered
by the UV-induced release of beta-endorphins. When the
skin is exposed to UVB, beta-endorphins (the endogenous
opioids made in the body) and vitamin D are produced
simultaneously. The suggested benefit is to provide a “reward”
for UV-induced vitamin D synthesis when vitamin D levels are
low, during which time a greater amount of beta-endorphins
are released upon exposure to UVB. As vitamin D levels
rise, the sun-seeking behavior and resulting opioid response
become repressed as less vitamin D is needed, representing a
dose-dependent relationship between sun-seeking behavior,
opioid response, and vitamin D levels.
There are even studies showing how vitamin D deficiency can
be a contributing factor to opioid addiction, such as a study by
Kemeny et al., which reviews how the intake of opioid drugs
bypasses vitamin D production and the proposed feedback-
control loop that is managed by vitamin D levels – which
is hypothesized to contribute to continued opioid seeking
behavior and resulting addiction. Using mouse models to help
explain their hypothesis, the authors found that
• vitamin D deficiency increased UV radiation-induced
endogenous pain relief and reward
• vitamin D deficiency did increase the UV/opioid reward,
likely to maximize vitamin D synthesis, which normalized
with the correction of vitamin D levels, and more
OTHER WAYS SUNSHINE AND UVB EXPOSURE AFFECT
MENTAL HEALTH
Lower Risk of Generalized Anxiety Disorder – Limited or
minimized sunshine exposure has also been associated with
and increased risk of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Better Mood and Improved Sense of Wellbeing – Studies
have correlated increased levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) with
major depressive disorder, and cortisol with immune and
mood imbalances.
Improved Infant Motor Development and Postpartum
Depression – A study by Zhang et al. found that infants
receiving vitamin D (400 IU/day) plus sunlight had better
motor development scores and lower cortisol levels over the
next two months compared to infants only taking vitamin D
supplements (400 or 1000 IU/day) or the control group.
Seasonal Affective Disorder – One in ten Americans suffer
from a recurring depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD) for which their symptoms often start in late fall or early
winter when the days are short, and go away in the spring
when the days lengthen. In other words, they feel better
when there is more UVB available with sunlight. The risk is
much higher for people who live further from the equator,
where the length of the days varies more greatly throughout
the year. Light therapy, exposure to artificial UVB lamps, has
been shown to be an effective treatment for people with SAD,
improving symptoms by 50-80%.
Reduced Risk of Cognitive Impairment – A study by Gao et
al. looked at data from 1192 participants aged 60 years and
older and residing in rural China who provided information
about their long-term sun exposure behaviors including time
of day when outdoors, duration outdoors, and use of sun
protection. This study concluded that long-term high sun
exposure throughout life could reduce the risk of cognitive
impairment in the later years of life.

Credit

GrassrootsHealth is a nonprofit public health research organization dedicated to moving public health
messages regarding vitamin D from research into practice. It has a panel of 48 senior vitamin D
researchers from around the world contributing to its operations

The professional tanning community can
take pride in the fact that when we do our
jobs correctly, we are part of the solution
– not part of the problem – in the fight
against sunburn.
NOW more than ever, the data tell that story. Non-tanners
do most of the sunburning outside today, according to the
government’s data.
In promoting our responsible story to legislators nationwide,
I still occasionally stumble across anti-sun groups who quote
a 2014 study asking the public to believe that sunbeds cause
3,234 emergency room visits per year in the United States.
ASA debunked this in 2015. It’s worth re-telling how ridiculous
that bogus statistic was.
That’s because 3,234 wasn’t a real number. It was a
manufactured number. And as you look closer and closer at
the math used to create it, you have to wonder how it ever got
published. Consider:
• The raw data came from just 405 ER reports collected
between 2003-2012 in 66 hospitals nationwide. That’s less
than 41 per year, which is much less than one emergency
room visit per year per hospital related to sunbeds.
• The raw data came from a database that doesn’t even
collect information about sunbeds — the researchers had
to mine through a subset of a public database to produce
their own set of 405 reports. They did not release this subset
database nor report the details of how they created it.
• The raw data in the same database suggest that “laundry
baskets” were related to about seven times more injuries
as compared to sunbeds. Sunbeds would rank dead last in
relative risk among the items listed in the database.
• The raw data show that ER reports in 2012 declined more
than three-fold from the number collected in 2003. That
should have been the lead point — that sunburn from sunbeds
was very rare and was significantly less common than it was a
generation ago.
To join ASA today, visit AmericanSuntanning.org/register
Perhaps most significant: The report did not isolate tanning
salons, but rather manufactured data from sunbeds used
either “at home” or in a “public property/place.” That’s where it
gets really interesting.
• If every sunbed in that “public property/place” category
was in a tanning salon (which is unlikely — many were
unmonitored sunbeds in apartment complexes or gyms)
that translates into an ER injury rate of just 0.00000345 — or
just over three-ten-thousandths of one percent for all public
sunbeds in 2012.
• But since "public property/place" is not just tanning
salons — and tanning salons may be the minority of sunbeds
in that group — that means the ER injury rate at tanning
salons would be somewhere between zero and three-ten-
thousandths of one percent.
And that’s why (almost) no one quotes this number anymore.
And it’s why when they do, ASA has been able to nip it in
the bud.
That’s the kind of thing we do every day promoting a
responsible sun care message. And why as a life-long
defender of moderate UV exposure, I look at this as a
challenge for the real pros in the professional suntanning
market to up our sunburn-prevention game. It’s part of our
success story.
Thank you for supporting ASA’s efforts
to bring this forward. It’s one small part
of our success story.

Joseph Levy
Executive Director and Director of Scientific
Affairs, American Suntanning Association

Sunbeds are Vitamin D Machines: Sunlight Institute

Thursday, February 6th, 2020

By Dr. Marc Sorenson, Sunlight Institute

A study last year published in the journal DermatoEndocrinology found that standard tanning salon sunbeds are very effective in raising serum levels of vitamin D. Those who used the beds were able to attain optimal levels (more than 100 nmol/L) [40ngml] D during winter. Actually, another earlier study had also showed similar results, so this research served to corroborate that finding.

The significance of this evidence cannot be overemphasized. This is transcendentally important information! Many North Americans receive little or no vitamin D-producing sun exposure in winter. It is similarly important for all others who live at high latitudes, work indoors or are rarely exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D deficiency, primarily due to lack of sun exposure, is a disaster that becomes larger each year.

This new research builds on the importance of vitamin D health impacts that were outlined in a recent study: It found that if Canadians raised their vitamin D blood levels to an optimal 100 nmol/L, it could prevent 23,000 premature deaths. It could also save $12.5 Billion annually in direct health care costs. The researchers indicate that low vitamin D levels in winter leave one more susceptible to many diseases. Some of these include colds and flu. But they also lead to more serious illnesses such as osteoporosis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, many cancers and heart disease.

Due to the scare tactics of those who frighten the public out of the sunlight, many other facts about the beneficial effects of sunbeds have been forgotten or hidden. Below are a few more of those facts.

Effects of Sunbed use:

1. Sunbed use strengthens bone. As mentioned above, one study compared 50 subjects who used a sunbed at least once weekly, to 106 control subjects who did not use them. Sunbed users had 90% higher vitamin D levels than non-users. They also had significantly higher bone-mineral density, indicative of stronger bones.
2. Sunbed use can control psoriasis and eczema. Research showed convincingly that sunbeds are a valid treatment for psoriasis. And, it also stated another conclusion: Sunbeds could be useful “as a treatment option for atopic dermatitis [eczema], mycosis fungoides, acne, scleroderma, vitiligo, and pruritus, as well as other UV sensitive dermatoses.”
3. Sunbed use reduces chronic pain. A study of pain in fibromyalgia patients, conducted by dermatologists, revealed that those who used UV-producing sunbeds experienced a decrease of 0.44 points on a 10 point scale (Likert scale), when compared to those who did not receive UV light. Feelings of well-being and relaxation were also reported among the tanners.
4. Sunbeds may help unborn children. Sunbeds are now being recommended for use by pregnant women who will give birth in a winter month, in order to protect the unborn child from osteoporosis during adulthood.
5. Sunbed use reduces the risk of clots. In an eleven-year study of the sun-exposure habits of 40,000 women, venous thrombotic (clotting) events were measured. It was found that women who sunbathed during the summer, on winter vacations, or when abroad, or used a sunbed, were at 30% reduced risk of clots compared to those who did not sunbathe.
6. Sunbed use is associated with lower breast-cancer risk.
7. Sunbed use reduces the risk of death. Perhaps the most important research on sunbeds was a 20-year study: It showed that women who used sunbeds were 23% less likely to die from any cause than women who did not use them.

Shopping Sun City On-Line is different than other On-line stores:
Sun City has your swimwear solutions because we are a real brick-and-mortar store located in Kansas City Missouri
that has offered over 6 thousand women's suits at very competitive prices for over 22 years.
Not all things in our store are online so if you live in the Kansas City Area
it is worth a visit our store for the best selection!

Sun City Tanning & Swimwear
8233 North Oak Trafficway
Kansas City Missouri 64118
816-468-1515
If ordering on-line 99% of everything we offer for sale on our website is
IN STOCK and READY TO SHIP!

Hi!

Just wanted to welcome everyone to Sun City's New Web store.

We are in the process of getting all the bugs worked out so hang with us during this exciting time!