Although excess exposure to Sunlight can cause skin cancer, however, not exposing ourselves to Sunlight at all can do no good to us either. Based on a medical experiment at the University of Southampton in southern England, Sunlight can alter the level of nitric oxide (NO) in the skin, dilating blood vessels that can help to ease hypertension. This happened due to a small amount of NO are transferred from the skin to the circulation thus cause the lowering of blood vessel tone, and when our blood pressure drops, so does the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The experiment was carried out on 24 volunteers who were exposed to ultraviolet (UVA) light from tanning lamps for two 20-minute sessions. In one session, the volunteers were exposed to both the UVA rays and the heat of the lamps and in the second, the UVA rays were blocked, so that only the heat of the lamps affecting the skin. The experiment findings have also supported that blood pressure and cardiovascular disease is known to vary according to season and latitude.
I believe the results that Sunlight may help to reduce high blood pressure thus lowering the risk from heart attacks and stroke are significant to the ongoing debate about potential health benefits of sunlight and the role of vitamin D.
Best,
Tan Kok Hui
Nutrition Made Simple, Life Made Rich
