Research from Stanford University has found that exposure to sunlight may reduce your risk of advanced breast cancer by as much as 50%.

The study followed 4,000 women between the ages of 35 and 79, and evaluated the effects of long-term sun exposure. Women with a light skin color who had high sun exposure had half the risk of developing advanced breast cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the breast) as women with low sun exposure. High sun exposure was defined as having dark skin on your forehead, since your forehead is typically exposed to the sun often.

Sun exposure may work to prevent cancer because it increases the levels of vitamin D in your body. While you can get some vitamin D from your diet, up to 90 percent comes from your exposure to sunlight.

Why isn't this information on how important sun exposure is for your health on the front page of nearly every newspaper and magazine or on the evening news? Do you think it might have something to do with the fact that no one is making large amounts of money by telling you this? And the converse is very true; large industries stand to lose billions of dollars if this information is widely known and adopted.

Dr. Joseph Mercola's comments:

In case you missed it in the summary above, this study found that getting a lot of sun exposure can slash your breast cancer risk IN HALF. Clearly, the dangers of the sun have been completely exaggerated and have actually prompted many of you to increase your risk of cancer by shunning the sun. The studies on the health benefits of sunshine just keep pouring in. Back in August, a particularly groundbreaking study came out that found 600,000 cases of cancer could be prevented every year just by increasing the levels of vitamin D, and that increasing levels of vitamin D could prevent diseases that claim nearly 1 million lives throughout the world each year!

The evidence is very clear that the farther away from the equator you live, the higher your risk of dying from cancer becomes. Why? With sun exposure, UVB radiation from the sun converts cholesterol in your body into vitamin D, one of the most potent anti-cancer vitamins there is. This is why you simply must get out there and expose your skin to the sun as much as you can during the summer months. You do NOT want to get sunburned, but you do need to stay out long enough (with enough skin exposed) for your body to produce plenty of vitamin D.

It's not excessive for a light-skinned person to stay out in the sun for an hour a day, particularly once they've built up a tan. If you have darker skin, which acts like a filter, you will need to stay out from two to five times longer to get the vitamin D you need. Now that winter is approaching, which means that many of you in the United States will not see the sun again until April or May, what should you do to keep your vitamin D levels up?

You can take a vitamin D3 supplement, such as cod liver oil. However, It IS possible to overdose on oral vitamin D supplements (there's very little risk of overdosing on vitamin D from the sun, however), so you need to have your blood levels of vitamin D measured regularly. Just remember, sun exposure is by far the best way to get your vitamin D.

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Tanning & Natural Health News is a publication of Tan Plus /Essentials Of Life, Barclay Square, 350 Route 108, Somersworth, NH. This publication is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be presented as medical advice. Product statements made have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration.