Although I have cancer in my family and have had it myself (not skin), I don't use suntan lotion. I might be making a mistake. But I feel that some sun is good. I'll limit myself to maybe ten minutes or so and then duck into the shade or cover myself. Years ago I would lay out and burn. But no longer. But I feel a little but of everything is healthy in moderation. I also have a skin doctor look me over once a year and remove any pre-cancerous things he might find.
I've never worried about skin cancer, and I've never bothered to apply sun screen lotion, even when exposed to long periods of sunlight. However, I recall my mum used to frequently give me a spoon of cod-liver oil when I was young, and eggs and fish were a regular part of my diet, so maybe that has strengthened my immune system.
When now reading about the benefits and risks of sunlight exposure, as a result of coming across the claimed beneficial effects of Vitamin D on reducing Covid-19 infection, I can't help associating the uncertainty about the precise processes with the uncertainty about the climate change issue.
Climate change alarmists tend to ignore the beneficial effects of a warmer climate and the increased plant growth due to human CO2 emissions. They just concentrate on the bad effects.
This is analogous to skin cancer researchers advising everyone to stay out of the sun, or always apply sun screen lotion to block the UV rays in order to reduce the risk of skin cancer. They tend to ignore the beneficial effects of sun exposure.
My impression, after reading a few studies, is that the production of Vitamin D is only one of the benefits of sun exposure, although it's a major benefit. Therefore, Vitamin D supplements, and/or a diet which is high in Vitamin D will not necessarily fully compensate for lack of sun exposure.
The sun causes the body to produce many other 'photoproducts'. (No camera required
![Grin ;D](https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/Smileys/default/grin.gif)
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These photoproducts include 'Serotonin' which enhances mood and reduces depression, and Nitric Oxide which is a potent vasodilator which expands the arteries, increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of heart disease, and so on.
The following site delves into the various issues.
http://sunlightinstitute.org/tag/nitric-oxide/