Suntan warnings 'causing deficiency in vitamin D'

The health of millions of people is being put at risk by "outdated and mistaken" government warnings about the dangers of going out in the sun, according to a report published today.

British people are more at risk of developing diseases associated with a lack of vitamin D because they are not getting enough sunlight than they are of contracting skin cancer.

Experts called for the advice on sunbathing to be reversed, with a new campaign encouraging people to tan themselves for up to half an hour a day.

The report, published by the Health Research Forum, is a review of hundreds of scientific papers and criticises the campaigns of cancer charities and the Government on the dangers of excessive sunlight.

Its author, Oliver Gillie, said: "The policy cautions the public to avoid exposure to the sun while making no concessions to the health benefits of sunlight. In fact, any benefit derived by this policy in prevention of skin cancer is greatly outweighed by the disease deficits incurred by the loss of vitamin D.

"Continuing with these government recommendations can only increase vitamin D deficiency in the population and so lead to an increase in ill-health and premature death."

The official SunSmart campaign, backed by the Government and promoted by the Cancer Research Campaign charity, has warned for 10 years that "there is no such thing as a safe tan". It was copied from a similar campaign in Australia, and the advice includes wearing factor 15 suncream at all times and staying in the shade.

The Health Research Forum study says this advice is "totally unsuited" to Britain and should be abandoned, because our climate is less sunny. The report recommends that people should put on sun-cream only after they have been in the sun for five to ten minutes, in order to allow vitamin D to be made in the skin.

Vitamin D plays a role in helping the body to absorb calcium, as well as affecting cell growth and other tissues.

Studies have linked vitamin D deficiencies to a range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, schizophrenia and some cancers.

Sunlight is the origin of up 90 per cent of vitamin D in the body, but many people are not exposed to the sun sufficiently, so are at risk of developing diseases related to the deficiency. The bone disease osteoporosis has also been linked to a lack of the vitamin.

The report says that a white-skinned person in the UK needs at least three 20-minute sessions a week of sunbathing in bright midday sunlight in order to obtain the maximum amount of vitamin D needed by the body.

Earlier this year, the head of the UK working party on skin cancer prevention also criticised the "no safe tan" campaign. Dr Neil Walker said: "I think we need to look at this again. I think telling people to avoid the sun entirely is draconian and unnecessary."

Sara Hiom, a spokeswoman for the Cancer Research Campaign, said: "A tan is a sign of DNA damage which could lead to skin cancer later in life. Of course having a tiny bit of a golden tan is safer than burning in the sun, but we have to come out with these rather strident comments to get the message across."

More than 7,000 people a year are diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, and some 1,500 die from it.