@article{1b4ebf84ffbe4851aab158cb65efcee6,
title = "Beneficial health effects of ultraviolet radiation: expert review and conference report",
abstract = "Carcinogenic effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) with reference to skin cancer are the basis of widely implemented recommendations to avoid sun exposure. Whether the benefits of “restrictive sun policies” outweigh their potential harms due to diminished beneficial effects of sunlight exposure remain a matter of controversy. A meeting of experts investigating the beneficial effects of UVR exposure, emphasising those not mediated by vitamin D, took place in Washington, D.C. on May 27–28, 2024, an excerpt of which is presented here. The aim was to update an inventory of sound scientific data and research on a great variety of implicated health effects. Large cohort studies indicate that various measures of higher sunlight or UVR exposure are associated with improved overall life expectancy. Evidence is accumulating that UVR may prevent and improve various diseases, particularly those related to inflammatory pathologies, though where possible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are still required to establish causality. Mechanistically, these beneficial effects of UVR extend far beyond vitamin D synthesis in the skin such as the lowering of blood pressure by nitric-oxide released from the skin, and activation of neuro-immune-endocrine pathways by a plethora of other mediators at a local and systemic level. In conclusion, the compelling evidence on health benefits of UVR exposure requires serious consideration in public health policies to balance properly the harms and benefits of sunlight exposure and warrants further RCTs to explore the preventive and therapeutic potential of UVR irradiation.",
keywords = "Sun exposure, UV radiation, Disease prevention, Mortality",
author = "Uwe Riedmann and Chris Dibben and \{de Gruijl\}, \{Frank R.\} and Shelley Gorman and Hart, \{Prue H.\} and Hoel, \{David G.\} and Carmit Levy and Lindqvist, \{Pelle G.\} and Mary Norval and Parikh, \{Shivang S.\} and Stefan Pilz and Kristina Rueter and Slominski, \{Andrzej T.\} and Slominski, \{Radomir M.\} and Young, \{Antony R.\} and Lina Zgaga and Weller, \{Richard B\}",
note = "S.P.: The history of sun exposure, vitamin D, and mortality; P.G.L., C.D. and R.B.W: Sun exposure and mortality in northern Europe; S.P.: Observational studies vs RCTs; what RCTs do not tell us; P.H.H.: Ultraviolet radiation and the immune system; K.R.: Development of allergic diseases in early childhood; C.D. and R.B.W.: Viruses and sunlight: ultraviolet A radiation and COVID-19 mortality; P.H.H.: UVR, multiple sclerosis (MS), and narrowband UVB phototherapy on clinically isolated syndrome (pre-MS stage); P.H.H.: UVR effects on microbiomes of skin and gut; P.H.H.: Phototherapy beyond dermatology: clinical uses of NB-UVB for immune stabilization; M.N.: Inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis; C.D.: Antenatal exposure to sunlight and learning disabilities; C.L. and S.S.P.: Physiological effects of UVB exposure on metabolic, reproductive, sexual, and the immune systems; P.G.L.: Sun exposure and arterial hypertension; P.H.H. and S.G.: Ultraviolet radiation, vitamin D, and the development of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and T2DM; R.W.: Cancer mortality; L. Z. Esophageal and gastric cancer; A.R.Y.: Skin pigmentation; A.T.S. and R.M.S.: Sun exposure vs dietary vitamin D; A.R.Y.: Blood transcriptome; R.B.W.: Nitric oxide; M.N.: Urocanic acid: friend or foe?; A.T.S. and R.M.S.: Other mediators. U.R. and S.P. prepared the original draft of the manuscript with contributions of F.R.d.G. All authors contributed to writing, reviewing, and editing the manuscript, and approved the final version.",
year = "2025",
month = jun,
day = "4",
doi = "10.1007/s43630-025-00743-6",
language = "English",
volume = "24",
pages = "867–893",
journal = "Photochemical \& Photobiological Sciences",
issn = "1474-905X",
publisher = "Springer Nature",
}