For years, commercial media and "medical experts" like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stressed the importance of sun protection to prevent skin damage and cancer. In all reality, they've turned the sun into a dangerous weapon that people think they need to avoid at all costs. If your skin begins to tan, your body is being harmed. If you neglect to wear sun block with high levels of SPF, you're doomed. But are these claims true?
Think about it this way: The Earth gets its life from the sun. Seeing as we live on the surface of this planet, do you think God had the intention of causing the sunlight to harm us? Does it really make sense that we should never be exposed to it? Our bodies have been created with built-in protection and defense systems against all of the sun's dangerous radiation.
What's naturally protecting me?
This natural mechanism that's protecting your skin is called melanin. It's a pigment that healthy skin produces when it's exposed to the sun. Some people produce more melanin than others, and that's because they take better care of their skin.
Unhealthy skin will not tolerate as much time in the sun as skin that's cared for. It's highly susceptible to damage because it doesn't respond to the strong stimulus of solar radiation fast enough to protect itself. So what can these people do to take better care of their skin? A regular skincare regimen will make a large impact, but a diet rich in antioxidants and carotenoids may be a more important factor that also contributes to a healthy complexion.
The importance of sun exposure
Spending time in the sunlight is essential for your overall health and well-being. The sun exposes you to vitamin D. Despite the name "vitamin," it's a hormone your body is stimulated to make when you spend time in the sunlight. Without vitamin D, your body cannot produce calcium transporters, which carry calcium through the intestinal cell wall to the bones throughout your body. Essentially, without vitamin D, it doesn't matter how much calcium you consume, because it won't make its way to the cells.
"Is it possible that a proper diet can reduce your risk?"
How can I avoid skin cancer?
Evidently, overexposure to sun might not be what's causing skin cancer. It all circles back to how you take care of your skin and nurture your body. Is it possible that a proper diet can reduce your risk?
In his book, "The Hallelujah Diet: Experience the Optimal Health You Were Meant to Have," George Malkmus stresses what really increases skin cancer risk.
"The sun may cause inflammation in the skin that leads to cancer, but it's a poor, lifeless diet that inhibits the body's ability to heal the inflammation and repair the skin," he said.
We believe switching to the Hallelujah Diet will nourish your body enough to maintain a healthy complexion, produce more melanin and ultimately provide protection against skin cancer. If you're concerned about sunburn, consider a supplement that contains astaxanthin. This antioxidant fights free radicals and inflammation to prevent sun damage. Our Joint Health supplement is formulated with astaxanthin, which can help you address joint pain and reduce inflammation throughout the body, skin included.
