Overview UV and vitamin D

simple graphic

Consensus

  • UV radiation at the ground consists mainly of UVA, some UVB, and a tiny amount of UVC
  • Sun, sunbeds/tanning beds/some sun bulbs contain both UVA and UVB radiation
  • UVA (315 -400 nm) radiation induces pigment tanning within seconds of UVA and light exposure
    • UVA tanning fades within 2 hours and does not increase melanin in skin
  • UVB (280-315 nm) radiation
    • induces vitamin D synthesis
    • delayed tanning (increases melanin in skin after several days)
    • is mainly responsible for sunburn (erythema), photoaging, photoimmunosuppression
  • Windows (glass) block UVB radiation
  • Modern sunscreens block UVB and UVA, but some of them block UVA poorly or are photo-unstable in this region
  • There has been an increase in melanoma incidence in recent years
  • Tanning beds produce higher levels of UVA radiation than the sun - even at the equator
  • UVB radiation, but not UVA radiation, induces melanoma in genetically modified animals
    • The newest epidemiological evidence suggest that UVA as well as UVB is associated with human melanoma
  • Epidemiological studies published over the last years demonstrated the association between sunbed use and melanoma.
  • Many countries restrict the amount of UVB (vitamin D) from tanning beds (due to mouse study)
  • UVB decreases faster than UVA when far from equator or winter season

Confusion/Disagreement

Sunburn (Erythema), cataracts, and development of skin cancer are related mostly to UVB radiation.
Ban all people under age 18 from using tanning beds

Spectrum

from Mercola

  • Visible: 450 (deep violet) to 700 (deep red)
  • UVA: a small amount gets thru the atmosphere (tan)
  • UVB: a tiny amount gets thru the atmosphere (Vitamin D)
  • UVC: none gets thru the atmosphere

UVB and UVA are very different

UVB UVA
Wavelength 280-315 315-400?
Tan Nope Tan
Vitamin D Vitamin D nope
Sun Screen blocked by sunscreen varies
Tanning salon varies widely
with tubes used		 5X more intense
than sun
Thru glass
eye and window		 blocked by glass UVA passed by some glass
may destroy some vitamin D
Birds can see nope Many birds can see UVA
Reptile can see Yes reptile Yes reptile
Wrinkle Yes ??
Bleach furniture ?? Yes
Skin Cancer controversy controversy

UV: Different Spectra: UVB = Vitamin D, UVA = Pigmentations

From Tanning Guru
UV: vitamin D, tan @ is.gd/UV_VitD

Hypothesis: UVA decreases vitamin D: many hints

Tanning

25+ VitaminDWiki pages with TANNING in the title

This list is automatically updated

Items found: 26
Title Modified
Tanning beds and Vitamin D - many studies 19 Apr, 2024
Increase your vitamin D from the sun by wearing a tan-through instead of standard shirt 20 May, 2019
Multiple Sclerosis much less likely for children who are thin and tanned - April 2017 23 Apr, 2017
3 tanning sessions raised vitamin D levels about 4 nanograms for about 4 weeks – July 2016 05 Jan, 2017
68 percent got vitamin D above 40 ng by regular use of tanning bed - July 2013 21 Jul, 2016
Tanning bed twice a month slightly increased vitamin D levels during the winter – RCT Nov 2015 21 Jul, 2016
Twins, no tan, winter, and smoking all associated with low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy – Jan 2013 30 Jun, 2016
Getting a tan does not mean that you are getting vitamin D 25 May, 2016
Tanning potential predicts risk of Prostate Cancer in Blacks – Nov 2014 02 Jan, 2015
Moscow prison to install tanning beds - Nov 2010 08 Mar, 2014
Use of tanning beds would reduce associated deaths by 10X – Oct 2011 18 Nov, 2013
4 uses of tanning beds per year did not reduce rate of internal cancers – Oct 2013 16 Oct, 2013
Tanning beds UVB vary by 4X 16 Oct, 2013
UVA from some tanning beds and most windows decrease vitamin D blood levels – March 2012 16 Jul, 2013
Tanning bed not improve vitamin D levels for a type of pancreatitis – RCT Sept 2011 16 Jul, 2013
Texas company claimed tanning beds prevent cancer – had to pay 142,000 dollar fine – March 2013 13 Mar, 2013
Vitamin D from phototherapy lamps, tanning beds, and the sun – Jan 2012 06 Mar, 2013
Tanning bed, like vitamin D supplements, has non-linear relationship with blood levels – Dec 2011 15 Jan, 2013
Indoor tanning not apparently associated with skin cancer – Feb 2012 06 Dec, 2012
Hypothesis – you will get the most vitamin D from sun if you do not tan 15 Aug, 2011
Most people have pale palms which do not tan 30 Jan, 2011
Miss Ohio Teen USA on responsible tanning 29 Sep, 2010
Indoor tanning neither reliable nor advisable source of vitamin D – Sept 2010 28 Sep, 2010
Dermatologists should not tan – June 2010 25 Jun, 2010
Study Suggests Indoor Tanning Boosts Chances of Melanoma 27 May, 2010
Tanning from Wikipedia 16 May, 2010

Measure UV

UV thru glass

No UVB (Vitamin D) gets thru, but most UVA (Tan) gets thru

uv window glass.jpg

Sunscreens

Increased sunscreen ==> increased melanoma

Melanoma and suncreens Time line -2010

Red = sunlight; other lines = amount of light filtered thru sunscreens

Image

Chart by Wagner and Hollis, downloaded from Grassroots April 2010 – video expected June

UV Other

Image

  • Elderly Skin generates less Vitamin D

Elderly skin generates less vitamin D

See also web

Image

Associations with the category Ultraviolet

Noontime sun 56, Top news 23, Multiple Sclerosis 21, Skin 18, Cancer 18, Virus 15, Cancer - Skin 14, Veterinary 11, Psoriasis 9, Pregnancy 6, Deficiency 5, Vision 5, Mortality 5, Cancer - Colon 5, Vitamin D Receptor 5, Vitamin D Far from equator 5, Cancer - Breast 5, Cancer - Lymphoma 5, Europe 5, Food sources5, Cardiovascular 4, Books, videos 4, Intervention 4, Gut 4, Immunity 4, Infant-Child 4, Genetics 4, Seniors 4, Obesity 4, Predict Vitamin D 3, Cancer - Other 3, Skin - Dark 3, Middle East 3, Metabolic Syndrome 3, CYP27B1 3, Overviews 2, Cancer - Prostate 2, Cancer - Bladder 2, Conference 2, High Risk 2, Shut-in 2, Orient 2, How much Vitamin D 2, Breathing 2, Kidney 2, Forms 2 (as of Nov 2023)


Short url =http://is.gd/UV_VitD

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