Sunbathing

A research undertaken by the researchers from the Karolinska University Hospital and the Lund University in Sweden has revealed that women who sunbathe frequently live longer than those who avoid it. Scientists concluded that despite the risk of melanoma, Sunbathing increases life expectancy by nearly 0.6 to 2.1 years.

The conclusion was made as the researchers followed 29,518 Swedish women for 20 years. During the study, it was also revealed that the Sun exposure habits can reduce the risk of heart disease and other non–cancer related diseases. However, the reasons for the same are yet to be determined. Less exposure to the Sun was also taken to be at par with smoking activity. "We found smokers in the highest Sun exposure group were at a similar risk as non–smokers avoiding the Sun exposure, indicating an avoidance of Sun exposure to be a risk factor of the same magnitude as smoking," said Dr. Pelle Lindqvist, lead author of the study.

Sunbathing’s association with skin cancer is unquestionable since 90 percent of non–melanoma and 86 percent of the melanoma skin cancer cases are attributed to the UV radiation exposure. Women involved in the study led to an increased survival rate but their likelihood of death from cancer also increased.