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Sun Avoidance Halves Lifespan, Study Warns
14 Mar
Summary
- Avoiding sun doubled death risk compared to high exposure.
- Sun-shunning women lost 0.6 to 2.1 years of life.
- Cardiovascular disease drove mortality in sun avoiders.
A long-term study following almost 30,000 women for two decades has uncovered a significant link between sun exposure and lifespan. Conducted by scientists at the Karolinska Institute, the research tracked 29,518 Swedish women. Participants were categorized based on their sun exposure habits: active avoidance, moderate exposure, and frequent exposure.
The findings, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, indicate that women who actively avoided sunlight had approximately double the risk of all-cause mortality compared to those with the highest sun exposure. This avoidance correlated with a loss of 0.6 to 2.1 years of life.
Cardiovascular disease emerged as the main driver of increased mortality among sun-avoiders. These women were found to be more prone to dying from heart disease and other non-cancerous ailments. While the study highlights potential benefits of moderate sun exposure for vitamin D production and overall health, experts caution against excessive UV exposure due to skin cancer risks.
