Saturday, March 23, 2024

Start of chemical foods

The Holocaust genocide committed by the German Nazi regime, by facilitating the regime's generation and tabulation of punch cards for national census data, military logistics, ghetto statistics, train traffic management, and concentration camp capacity.[1]

Summary

In the early 1880s, Herman Hollerith (1860–1929), a young employee at the U.S. Census Bureau, conceived of the idea of creating readable cards with standardized perforations, each representing specific individual traits such as gender, nationality, and occupation. The millions of punched cards created for the population counted in the national census could then be sorted on the basis of specific bits of information they contained—thereby providing a quantified portrait of the nation and its citizens.[2]: 25  A circuit-closing device was used to electromagnetically record the data represented by the perforations. The technology enabled searching for individuals using the traits as search terms.[3]

In 1910, the German licensee Willy Heidinger established the Deutsche Hollerith Maschinen Gesellschaft (German Hollerith Machine Corporation), known by the abbreviation "Dehomag".[2]: 30  The next year, Hollerith sold his American business to industrialist Charles Flint (1850–1934) for US$1.41 million(equivalent to $44.3 million in 2022).[2]: 31  The counting machine operation was made part of a new conglomerate called the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR).[2]: 31  Flint chose Thomas J. Watson (1874–1956), the star salesman of the National Cash Register Corporation, to head the new operation.[2]: 38–39  In 1923,[4] the German licensee Dehomag became a direct subsidiary of the American corporation CTR.[2]: 44  In 1924, Watson assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of CTR and renamed the company International Business Machines (IBM).

Black details an ongoing business relationship between Watson's IBM and the emerging German regime headed by Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist German Workers Party(NSDAP). Hitler came to power in January 1933; on March 20 of that same year he established a concentration camp for political prisoners in the Bavarian town of Dachau, just outside the city of Munich. Repression against political opponents and the country's ethnic Jewish population began immediately. By April 1933, some 60,000 had been imprisoned.[2]: 44–45  Business relations between IBM and the Hitler regime continued uninterrupted in the face of broad international calls for an economic boycott.[2]: 45 Willy Heidinger, who remained the chief executive of Dehomag, the German subsidiary of which IBM owned 90%, was an enthusiastic supporter of the Hitler regime.[2]: 50 

On April 12, 1933, the German government announced plans to conduct a long-delayed national census.[2]: 54  The project was particularly important to the Nazis as a mechanism for the identification of Jews, Roma, and other ethnic groups deemed undesirable by the regime. Dehomag offered to assist the German government in its task of ethnic identification, focusing upon the 41 million residents of Prussia.[2]: 55  This activity was not only countenanced by Thomas Watson and IBM in America, Black argues, but was actively encouraged and financially supported, with Watson himself traveling to Germany in October 1933 and the company ramping up its investment in its German subsidiary from 400,000 to 7,000,000 Reichsmark—about $1 million (equivalent to $22.6 million in 2022).[2]: 60  This injection of American capital allowed Dehomag to purchase land in Berlinand to construct IBM's first factory in Germany, Black charges, thereby "tooling up for what it correctly saw as a massive financial relationship with the Hitler regime".[2]: 60 

Black also cites documents regarding a "secret deal" that was made between Heidinger and Watson during the latter's visit to Germany which allowed Dehomag commercial powers outside of Germany, enabling the "now Nazified" company to "circumvent and supplant" various national subsidiaries and licensees by "soliciting and delivering punch card solution technology directly to IBM customers in those territories".[2]: 61  As a result, Nazi Germany soon became the second most important customer of IBM after the lucrative U.S. market.[2]: 110  The 1933 census, with design help and tabulation services provided by IBM through its German subsidiary, proved to be pivotal to the Nazis in their efforts to identify, isolate, and ultimately destroy the country's Jewish minority. Machine-tabulated census data greatly expanded the estimated number of Jews in Germany by identifying individuals with only one or a few Jewish ancestors. Previous estimates of 400,000 to 600,000 were abandoned for a new estimate of 2 million Jews in the nation of 65 million.[2]: 110 

As the Nazi war machine occupied successive nations of Europe, capitulation was followed by a census of the population of each subjugated nation, with an eye to the identification and isolation of Jews and Romani. These census operations were intimately intertwined with technology and cards supplied by IBM's German and new Polish subsidiaries, which were awarded specific sales territories in Poland by decision of the New Yorkoffice following Germany's successful Blitzkrieg invasion.[2]: 193 Data generated by means of counting and alphabetization equipment supplied by IBM through its German and other national subsidiaries was instrumental in the efforts of the German government to concentrate and ultimately destroy ethnic Jewish populations across Europe.[2]: 198  Black reports that every Nazi concentration camp maintained its own Hollerith-Abteilung(Hollerith Department), assigned with keeping tabs on inmates through use of IBM's punchcard technology.[2]: 351  In his book, Black charges that "without IBM's machinery, continuing upkeep and service, as well as the supply of punch cards, whether located on-site or off-site, Hitler's camps could have never managed the numbers they did."[2]: 352 

Major changes were made for the 2002 paperback editions on Three Rivers Press/Time Warner Paperbacks[5][6][7] and the 2012 expanded edition on Dialog Press.[8] In the updated 2002 paperback edition, the author included new evidence of the connection between IBM's United States headquarters and its Polish subsidiary during Nazi occupation.[5][6][7] In 2012 Black published a second expanded revision with more documents. The 2012 expanded edition provides 32 pages of new photographic and documentary evidence.[8]

IBM's post-invasion Polish subsidiary

A revised 2002 paperback edition provides additional evidence that IBM New York established a special subsidiary in Polandcalled Watson Business Machines to deal with railway traffic in the General Government. Edwin Black asserts that IBM did so after the September 1, 1939 Invasion of Poland by Germany, and continued this business relationship during the Holocaust in Poland. Watson Business Machines operated a punch card printing shop near the Warsaw Ghetto.[5]

In a 2002 editorial in the SFGate, Black documented that this Polish subsidiary reported to IBM Geneva which in turn reported to IBM New York. Black further states that IBM's European general manager reported directly to Thomas Watson Sr., that some machines in Poland were sent to Romania to assist in the Jewish census there, and that these Polish machines were later replaced.[6]

In his book, Black quotes Leon Krzemieniecki, the last surviving person involved in the administration of the rail transportation to Auschwitz and Treblinka, as stating he knew the punched card machines were not German machines, because the labels were in English. Black details how income from the machines leased in Poland was sent through Geneva to IBM in New York.[5][6]

Ongoing sales

Edwin Black details how IBM not only leased Nazi Germany the machines, but then provided continuous maintenance service, and sold the spare parts and the special paper needed for the customized punch cards.[9]

No machines were sold – only leased. IBM was the sole source of all punch cards and spare parts. It serviced the machines on site either directly or through its authorized dealer network or field trainees. There were no universal punch cards. Each series of cards was custom-designed by IBM engineers to capture information going in and to tabulate information the Nazis wanted to extract. 

— Edwin Black, on updates in 2002[6]

After the publication of the 2012 expanded edition, he wrote for the Huffington Post, "The punch cards, machinery, training, servicing, and special project work, such as population census and identification, was managed directly by IBM headquarters in New York, and later through its subsidiaries in Germany, known as Deutsche Hollerith-Maschinen Gesellschaft (DEHOMAG), Poland, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and other European countries." He added that the punch cards bore the indicia of the German subsidiary Dehomag.[10]

Reception

IBM's response

Though IBM has never directly denied any of the evidence posed by the book, it has criticized Black's research methods and accusatory conclusions.[11] IBM claimed it does not have any other information about the company during its World War II period or the operations of Dehomag, as it argued most documents were destroyed or lost during the war.[12]

IBM also claimed that an earlier dismissed lawsuit, initiated by lawyers representing concentration camp survivors, was filed in 2001 to coincide with Black's book launch.[12] Lawyers for the Holocaust victims acknowledged the timing of the lawsuit to coincide with Black's book release, explaining their public relations strategies played an important role in their record of achieving Nazi-era settlements totaling more than $7 billion without winning a judgment.[13]

After the publication of Black's updated 2002 paperback edition, IBM responded by stating it wasn't convinced there were any new findings and there was no proof IBM had enabled the Holocaust.[5][7] IBM rejected Black's assertion that IBM was hiding information and records regarding its World War II era.[14]Several years previously, IBM had given its corporate records of the period to academic archives in New York and Stuttgart, Germany, for review by undefined "independent scholars".[7]

In early 2021, Black published the 20th anniversary edition with special public events and a syndicated article stating that in twenty years, "not a comma has been changed", adding that "IBM has never requested a correction or denied any facts in the book."[15][16][17]

Wikipedia editing controversy

In 2010, Black reported on unidentified Wikipedia editors marginalizing his research on IBM's role in the Holocaust.[18] It is not clear whether the editors involved were IBM employees, but Black states that, "[they were] openly fortified by official IBM corporate archivist Paul Lasewicz using his real name, and others"; Black nevertheless calls Lasewicz a "man of integrity" and points out that he deferred taking the lead because of potential conflict of interest and then recused himself entirely.[19][20]

Critical response

The book was published on February 11, 2001, simultaneously in 40 countries in 14 languages, with numerous subsequent expanded editions, and hundreds of published reviews in many languages have appeared.[10]

At the first edition release in 2001, Newsweek called the book "explosive", adding, "backed by exhaustive research, Black's case is simple and stunning. ... Black clearly demonstrates that Nazi Germany employed IBM Hollerith punch-card machines to perform critical tasks in carrying out the Holocaust and the German war effort ... Black establishes beyond dispute that IBM Hollerith machines significantly advanced Nazi efforts to exterminate Jewry."[21]

In 2003, the American Society of Journalists and Authorsacknowledged IBM and the Holocaust with its award for Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year.[22]

Richard Bernstein, writing for The New York Times Book Reviewabout the original 2001 first edition, said "Edwin Black makes a copiously documented case for the utter amorality of the profit motive and its indifference to consequences" but that Black's case "is long and heavily documented, and yet he does not demonstrate that IBM bears some unique or decisive responsibility for the evil that was done".[23]

In a 2001 review in the Los Angeles Times, historian and UCLAprofessor Saul Friedlander wrote, "The author convincingly shows the relentless efforts made by IBM to maximize profit by selling its machines and its punch cards to a country whose criminal record would soon be widely recognized. Indeed, Black demonstrates with great precision that the godlike owner of the corporation, Thomas Watson, was impervious to the moral dimension of his dealings with Hitler's Germany and for years even had a soft spot for the Nazi regime."[24]

In another review of the first edition, David Cesarani of Southampton University stated that Black provided "shocking evidence" that IBM in America continued to provide punch cards and other services to the Nazis "in defiance of Allied regulations against trading with the enemy."[25]

In a 2001 review of the first edition in The AtlanticJack Beattywrote, "This is a shocking book ... Edwin Black has documented a sordid relationship between this great American company and the Third Reich, one that extended into the war years."

Prof. Robert Urekew's review in the Harvard International Reviewstated: "Black's meticulous documentation reveals an undeniable fact: after the outbreak of the World War II, the IBM corporation knew the whereabouts of each of its European-leased machines, and what revenues it could expect from them."[26]

After the updated paperback edition in 2002, Oliver Burkemanwrote for The Guardian, "The paperback provides the first evidence that the company's dealings with the Nazis were controlled from its New York headquarters throughout the second world war."[5] Sam Jaffe in Businessweek wrote: "With exhaustive research, Black makes the case that IBM and Watson conspired with Nazi Germany to help automate the genocide of Europe's Jews."[citation needed]

Reuters reported in 2002 that historians on Black's research team stated the paperback edition had used newly discovered Nazi documents and Polish eyewitness testimony to link IBM's U.S. operations directly to the Third Reich operations in Poland.[citation needed]

Several reviewers publicly retracted their negative reviews, with signed written apologies and donations to Holocaust museums, including reviewers in The Jerusalem ReportNature MagazineAudioFile magazine, Annals of the History of Computing, and the World Association of International Scholars.[27]

Related legal actions

In February 2001, an Alien Tort Claims Act claim was filed in U.S. federal court against IBM for allegedly providing the punched card technology that facilitated the Holocaust, and for covering up German IBM subsidiary Dehomag's activities.[13][28]There was no evidence in the suit that IBM officials in New York explicitly ordered that technology be supplied to the Nazis with the understanding it would be used in concentration camps; however, lawyers representing victims of Nazi oppression claimed Dehomag's founder Heidinger expressed pride in giving Hitler data that could be used in "corrective interventions", and pledged to "follow his orders blindly".[13] In April 2001, the lawsuit was dropped after lawyers feared the suit would slow down payments from a German Holocaust fund for Holocaust survivors who had suffered under Nazi persecution.[28] IBM's German division had paid $3 million into the fund, while clearly avoiding admission of liability.[28]

In 2004, the Roma human rights organization Gypsy International Recognition and Compensation Action (GIRCA) filed suit against IBM in Switzerland.[28] However, the case was dismissed in 2006 under the relevant statute of limitations.[29]

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said in a 2015 unrelated lawsuit filed in U.S. federal court against IBM, "We point out the disturbing parallels between IBM's actions vis-à-visSouth Africa and Nazi Germany: IBM New York purposefully 'facilitated gross human rights abuses by the Third Reich.'"[30][31]

References

  1.  Preston, Peter (February 18, 2001). "Six million and counting"The Observerguardian.co.uk. Retrieved June 14, 2001.
  2.  Black, Edwin (2009) [2001]. IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance Between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation (Paperback) (Second ed.). Washington, DC: Dialog Press. OCLC 958727212.
  3.  Jefferson, Brian (2020). Digitize and Punish: Racial Criminalization in the Digital Age. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. p. 20.
  4.  Elkin, Larry M. "IBM: A Centenarian's Imperfect But Impressive Recall"Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  5.  Burkeman, Oliver (March 29, 2002). "IBM 'dealt directly with Holocaust organisers'"The Guardian guardian.co.uk. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  6.  Black, Edwin (May 19, 2002). "The business of making the trains to Auschwitz run on time". Editorial. SFGateSan Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  7.  Grace, Francie (March 27, 2002). "IBM And Nazi Germany: Researcher Has New Documents On World War II Conduct"CBS News.
  8.  "Edwin Black Seeks to Prove IBM's Involvement in Holocaust"William S. Boyd School of LawUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas. November 13, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  9.  Beatty, Jack (April 2001). "Hitler's Willing Business Partners"The Atlantic. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  10.  Black, Edwin (2012). "IBM's Role in the Holocaust — What the New Documents Reveal"Huffington Post. Retrieved October 23,2017.
  11.  Bazyler, Michael J. (2005). Holocaust Justice: The Battle for Restitution in America's Courts. New York: New York University Press. p. 303.
  12.  IBM Press Room (February 14, 2001). "IBM Statement on Nazi-era Book and Lawsuit"Press Release. Armonk, New York.
  13.  Feder, Barnaby (February 11, 2001). "Lawsuit Says I.B.M. Aided The Nazis In Technology"The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  14.  IBM Press Room (March 29, 2002). "Addendum to IBM Statement on Nazi-era Book and Lawsuit"Press Release. Armonk, New York. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved July 13,2021.
  15.  Black, Edwin (February 8, 2021). "IBM and the Holocaust — 20 Years of Corporate Denial"The Times of Israel.
  16.  Black, Edwin (February 8, 2021). "IBM and the Holocaust—20 years of corporate denial"Israel National News.
  17.  Black, Edwin. "Barnes & Noble Launch Event for IBM and the Holocaust hardcover 2021 re-issue | The Edwin Black Show"The Edwin Black Show.
  18.  Black, Edwin (April 12, 2010). "Wikipedia—The Dumbing Down of World Knowledge"The Cutting Edge News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  19.  Black, Edwin (April 12, 2010). "Wikipedia—The Dumbing Down of World Knowledge". Editorial. History News NetworkGeorge Washington University. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  20.  Barillas, Martin (April 9, 2010). "Martin Barillas: Wikipedia Blocks Users in Response to Edwin Black Article"History News Network. Retrieved May 24, 2019.

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Crucial Role of Vitamin D in Physical and Mental Health Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola

researchers concluded that vitamin D status can predict your risk of death from C0V!D-19, as well as the severity of your symptoms in the acute phase. Having a vitamin D level lower than 36.04 ng/mL was predictive for death For decades, the conventional medical establishment and media have downplayed if not entirely ignored evidence showing that sun exposure is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle that prevents, as opposed to creates, diseases — including cancer.

Is that about to change? It’s too early to tell, but surprisingly supportive scientific papers and mainstream media articles have recently highlighted the benefits of sun exposure and vitamin D optimization.



Scientific Review Highlights Importance of Vitamin D Among them is a scientific review published in the peer-reviewed journal Cureus, in which the authors highlight "the intricate relationship between Vitamin D and patient outcomes." An excerpt from the paper, "The Sunlight-Vitamin D Connection: Implications for Patient Outcomes in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit," reads:1

"Vitamin D, known for its multifaceted roles in immune modulation, inflammation regulation, and maintenance of calcium homeostasis, emerges as a pivotal factor in the care of critically ill patients.

Our exploration reveals a high prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in the SICU, primarily attributable to limited sunlight exposure, comorbidities, and medication use.

Importantly, Vitamin D status impacts infection rates, mortality, and length of stay in the SICU, making it a clinically relevant consideration ... The prospect of personalized Vitamin D supplementation strategies offers promise for optimizing patient care."

The paper goes on to stress that vitamin D’s "crucial role in maintaining human health" goes well beyond its classical role in bone health (by regulating calcium and phosphorus homeostasis).

"Emerging evidence suggests that vitamin D exerts a much broader influence on various physiological processes," the authors note. For example, they point out that vitamin D is "a potent immunomodulator, influencing the innate and adaptive immune responses":

"In the innate immune response, Vitamin D enhances the production of antimicrobial peptides like cathelicidins and defensins, which are essential for defense against infections.

The adaptive immune response regulates the proliferation and differentiation of T and B cells, two critical immune system components. By modulating the immune response, Vitamin D can help the body defend against pathogens and may be involved in autoimmune diseases where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's tissues."

As such, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to health conditions such as osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. According to this paper, vitamin D is also "crucial for the functioning of the nervous system and has been associated with mental health disorders."

Vitamin D is also a key regulator of cell growth and differentiation, and "Proper cell growth and differentiation regulation is crucial for maintaining tissue health and preventing abnormal cell proliferation, often associated with cancer," the authors state.

Sensible Sunlight Exposure Is the Primary Source of Vitamin D Importantly, the authors accurately stress that sunlight is the primary source of vitamin D, and while sunburn needs to be avoided, this risk needs to be balanced with the need for vitamin D production:2

"When ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from the sun penetrates the skin, it triggers a series of enzymatic reactions that lead to the synthesis of Vitamin D in the body. This process highlights the crucial role of sunlight exposure in maintaining adequate Vitamin D levels ...

Using clothing that covers most of the skin and applying sunscreen can block UVB radiation, inhibiting Vitamin D synthesis. While protecting the skin from harmful UV radiation is essential to prevent sunburn and skin cancer, individuals may need to balance sun protection practices with the need for Vitamin D production.

Strategies such as exposing uncovered skin for short periods or considering Vitamin D supplements may be necessary when sun protection is paramount."



Improve immune function by directly regulating immune cells’ behavior and regulating adaptive immunity, thereby preventing excessive immune activation

Mitigate excessive inflammation

Improve muscle function and mobility, thereby aiding in patient recovery and rehabilitation

Support lung function Mitigate cardiovascular risks and complications Improve mental health Improve patient outcomes and reduce mortality

To improve outcomes in SICU patients, the authors recommend taking an individualized approach, where patients with documented vitamin D deficiencies are given vitamin D supplements, with vitamin D3 (the active form) being preferred over D2 (the synthetic version), as it raises levels more effectively.

The authors also accurately recommend assessing the patient’s baseline vitamin D level through blood testing before supplementing, to determine the extent of the deficiency, and to monitor the level during and after supplementation. This is the only way to ensure vitamin D sufficiency, because it’s the blood level that matters, not the individual dose. In conclusion, the authors made the following comments:4

"Through our exploration of Vitamin D's immunomodulatory effects, anti-inflammatory properties, and role in maintaining calcium homeostasis, it becomes evident that Vitamin D is a critical factor influencing the recovery and overall health of SICU patients.

Despite the challenges and complexities surrounding accurate assessment and supplementation, the implications for clinical practice are substantial. Routine screening, individualized dosing strategies, and patient education can help optimize care in the SICU."

Vitamin D Status Can Predict C0V!D-19 Mortality Rate In November 2020, I coauthored a scientific review on vitamin D’s impact on C0V!D-19. That paper, "Evidence Regarding Vitamin D and Risk of C0V!D-19 and Its Severity" was published in the journal Nutrients.5

Media vilified me for my stance on vitamin D, and one journalist went so far as to claim she "couldn’t verify" that I was the author of this peer-reviewed paper, all in an effort to discredit me.

Since then, the evidence for vitamin D against C0V!D has only grown stronger. Most recently, an observational study6,7 from China concluded that vitamin D status can predict your risk of death from C0V!D-19, as well as the severity of your symptoms in the acute phase.

In the critically ill, vitamin D deficiency has been shown to increase infection and mortality rates, and is associated with longer hospital stays. The study, published in the Virology Journal, analyzed data from 399 C0V!D patients hospitalized between December 2022 and February 2023. The patients were categorized into three groups based on their vitamin D blood levels at admission (normal: 30 ng/mL or higher, insufficient: 20-29 ng/mL, or deficient: less than 20 ng/mL).

Analysis revealed that vitamin D deficiency was associated with more severe symptoms and having a vitamin D level lower than 36.04 ng/mL was predictive for death.

The predictability of C0V!D-19 mortality was even greater when vitamin D levels were considered together with levels of interleukin-5 (IL-5) and eosinophil. Patients with vitamin D below 36.04 ng/mL, IL-5 higher than 1.7 pg/mL, and an eosinophil count of less than 0.015 had the highest risk of death.

What’s particularly notable here is that 36.04 ng/mL is within the "normal" range for vitamin D, clearly illustrating that "normal" is far from optimal, and not enough when your life hangs in the balance. Most vitamin D experts consider 30 ng/mL half of what an optimum vitamin D level should be, which is 60 to 80 ng/mL.

‘Unexpected’ Life Extension Benefits October 1, 2023, The Guardian also ran an article8 highlighting some of the "unexpected" benefits of sun exposure, including longer life expectancy and a reduced risk of death from skin cancer. Of course, anyone who has spent any amount of time investigating the matter will not be surprised. That said, here’s an excerpt from that article, written by science correspondent Linda Geddes:

"For decades, it has been drilled into us that if the sun is out, we’d better slip on protective clothing, slop on suncream and slap on a hat to stay safe. There’s little doubt that too much sun exposure — and particularly sunburn — increases our risk of developing skin cancer.

It also prematurely ages the skin. But scientists are increasingly questioning the mantra that sunlight is an evil to be avoided at all costs, and investigating the brighter side of sun exposure.

It’s not just about vitamin D. Though important for strong bones and teeth this sun-induced vitamin is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the physiological processes that are influenced by sunlight falling on the skin. Sunseekers may even have a longer lifespan.

This counterintuitive connection first came to light in 2014, when a Swedish researcher ... published the results of a large study9 that followed the health of around 30,000 women over 20 years.

It found that, on average, women who spent more time in the sun lived for one to two years longer than those who avoided the sun, even after taking into account factors such as wealth, education and exercise.

This increased life expectancy appeared to stem from lower rates of cardiovascular disease and other non-cancer-related illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disease and chronic lung disease.

Other studies10 have since identified a similar pattern, including among pale-skinned Britons ... [T]hose with more active sun-seeking behavior were 14% less likely to die from any cause during the [13-year] study period compared to sun avoiders, and their risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 19% lower ...

Curiously, active sunseekers’ risk of dying from cancer, including skin cancers, was also 14% lower. [A] similar pattern has been seen in other studies too."

Your Skin Has Built-In Protective Mechanisms Geddes accurately describes how melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its dark color, protects your skin cells from DNA damage by absorbing ultraviolet sun rays. This is what causes you to develop a tan. She also explains how melanin production is activated by the release of beta-endorphins in response to sunlight, which have stress- and pain relieving effects all of their own.

And, while skin cancer can be triggered by repeated sunburn that damages your skin, people who get lots of sun exposure still have longer life expectancy than those who avoid the sun. So, clearly, routine sun exposure is not a prescription for death by skin cancer. Quite the opposite.

The key, really, is to avoid the skin damage caused by sunburns,11 and the easiest way to do that is by gradually building up a tan. Start by exposing large portions of skin for only five to 15 minutes if you’re fair-skinned, and longer if you have naturally darker skin, around solar noon.

You want your skin to develop just the slightest hint of pink, then cover back up. Each day after that, add a few more minutes. This will allow your melanin to do its job and protect your skin cells from UV damage. If you start in the spring, by mid-summer, you’ll be able to spend hours outside without burning, and your risk of skin cancer will then be minimal.

Vitamin D Supplements Do Not Confer the Same Benefits Thankfully, Geddes also accurately notes that vitamin D supplements do not confer the same benefits as sun exposure, and that your vitamin D level is a biomarker of sun exposure, which is something I’ve been stressing for quite some time. Never in the history of mankind have we relied on pills for vitamin D production, and there’s no evidence to suggest that it would be wise to do so. Geddes writes:12

"Surprisingly though, large long-term trials assessing the impact of taking daily vitamin D supplements to prevent these conditions have produced mixed results, prompting some researchers to question whether they may have been looking at this from the wrong perspective.

‘Your vitamin D level is a biomarker that you have been in the sun, but it is not necessarily the active agent involved in human disease pathogenesis,’ says Prof Prue Hart at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, Australia ...

As evidence mounts for these potentially beneficial effects of sunlight, so do calls for a rethink of public health advice on how best to stay safe in the sun.

In 2020, Weller, Hart, Lindqvist and 12 other researchers published a review13 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, alerting doctors and policymakers to the ‘significant public health problem of insufficient sun exposure.’

While they don’t dispute that UV exposure is a major cause of skin cancer, they believe the ‘Slip, Slap, Slop’ approach to sun avoidance — originally advocated by Cancer Council Australia, but now broadly adopted in other countries — may be damaging the health of people living in high-latitude countries such as the UK."

The one drawback with using sun exposure to maintain a protective vitamin D level is that there’s simply not enough sunlight hitting the earth year-round in some areas. If you live north of 37 degrees North latitude, you may still need a vitamin D supplement to get you through the winter.

Cancer Organizations Trade Skin Cancer for Internal Cancers Indeed, the U.S. Surgeon General,14,15 the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and many other cancer organizations recommend complete and total sun avoidance in order to prevent skin cancer. The AAD will not even acknowledge different recommendations based on skin type.

This is a disastrous recommendation, as having a vitamin D blood level of 40 ng/mL or higher is a key prevention tool for all types of cancer, including internal cancers that are far deadlier than melanoma (malignant skin cancer). Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that it can significantly reduce your cancer risk, and increase your chances of surviving cancer if you do get it.16,17

For example, researchers at the University of California found that women with a vitamin D serum level of 40 ng/mL or greater had a 67% lower risk of cancer compared to women with levels of 20 ng/mL or less.18,19

The study included ALL invasive cancers, except for skin cancer, and had a follow-up period of nearly four years. Higher vitamin D is also associated with lower all-cause mortality.20,21 So, essentially, the recommendation to avoid all sun exposure trades the low risk of skin cancer for a far greater risk of deadly internal cancers.

By adhering to sensible sun exposure guidelines and making sure you do not get burned, you can maximize your benefits and minimize the risks of skin damage that could lead to skin cancer.

On the whole, overexposure to the sun, not all sun exposure, is the real problem when it comes to raising your risk for skin cancer.22 Meanwhile, optimizing your vitamin D via regular UV exposure can help decrease your risk of well over a dozen different cancers that are far more common and far more deadly than melanoma.

Brittle Bones Is a Serious Problem Optimizing your vitamin D with sensible sun exposure will also protect you against osteopenia (brittle bones) and osteoporosis (bone loss), the prevalence of which is on the rise among younger people.

As of 2020, an estimated 12.3 million Americans over 50 were affected by osteoporosis, and an additional 47 million younger Americans were in the early stages.23 If your bones are getting compromised in your 40s or even 30s, what life expectancy, not to mention quality of life, can you really expect?

Fosamax and other bisphosphonate drugs are not the answer to this, as they are incredibly toxic and can raise your risk of bone fractures, particularly in the thigh bone.24

The reason for this is because these drugs strengthen your bones, but they do that by inhibiting your body’s ability to absorb old bone. As a result, the bone becomes harder, but also more brittle. Truly healthy bone is hard yet flexible.

Other side effects of bisphosphonate drugs include gastrointestinal problems, gastric ulcers, flu-like symptoms, severe bone, joint and muscle pain, and osteonecrosis of the jawbone.

Optimizing your vitamin D and getting sufficient exercise is a far better route for most people. KAATSU, or blood flow restriction (BFR) training is a great option if you’re frail and/or out of shape, as you don’t need heavy weights.

Recent research25 has confirmed that BFR increases not only muscle mass but also bone mass, "primarily through several hormonal pathways at the same time it enhances cardiovascular function."

As noted by the authors, "The improvements in mobility and gait are indicators of greater health-related quality of life minimizing disability in older adults." For more details on how BFR works its magic, see my previous article "How to Stay Fit for Life."

Sources and References