Holick, author of the new book "The UV Advantage," has spoken out about the importance of sun exposure to boosting vitamin D levels and health. He says there are substantial benefits of sunlight, including promoting strong bones and easing depression, but public health officials have been portraying the sun as the enemy for so long that they don't want to hear any alternative conclusions.

But while the American Academy of Dermatology is calling Holick's recommendations of receiving adequate sun exposure for health benefits "irresponsible," other dermatologists say Holick, who has authored over 100 published papers, developed treatments for psoriasis and studied sunlight's role in vitamin D production, is extremely creative and "ahead of his time."

While Holick says that sunburns make skin cancer more likely, he contends that moderate sun exposure could reduce the risk of prostate and breast cancers, based on epidemiological studies suggesting a lower incidence of those cancers in sunnier climates. He also says a few minutes of sun exposure on bare skin several times a week can help reduce the incidence of vitamin D deficiency, which occurs often in northern cities where people don't receive adequate sun exposure during the winter months.

Although the resignation is largely symbolic--he will remain director of BU Medical Center's Vitamin D lab while continuing to teach with no loss in salary--Holick believes he is "being punished for challenging one of the dogmas of dermatology."

The Miami Herald April 15, 2004

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

I believe that Dr. Holick's book, The UV Advantage, is an incredibly important read for anyone interested in preventing numerous health problems and bettering their health, but is even more essential for those who follow the "experts" recommendations to stay out of the sun. It is quite disturbing that Dr. Holick, one of the world's foremost authorities on vitamin D, would be asked to resign when his recommendations are right on target. It is the widespread recommendation from the "experts" to avoid sun exposure that is causing harm. This myth has contributed to massive amounts of disease and illness in our society because we ALL need sunshine to stay healthy. If you are not yet aware of the importance of sun exposure to health--you should still avoid getting sunburned, however--I encourage you to type "sun" into the search engine in the upper right corner of this page. This will give you access to numerous important articles on the topic. And, if you are familiar with the issue and would like to let Dr. Gilchrest or the dean of Boston University Medical School know what you think of Dr. Holick's resignation, their addresses are below (from the Vitamin D Council newsletter). Barbara Gilchrest, MD Chairwoman Dermatology Boston University School of Medicine 715 Albany St. Boston, MA 02118 bgilchre@bu.edu John F. McCahan, MD Acting Dean Boston University School of Medicine 715 Albany Street, L-103 Boston, MA 02118 jmccahan@bu.edu Related Articles: Learn How to Use the Sun to Stop Disease and Feel Great in "The UV Advantage 'Your Well-Being Depends on the Sun' and Other Great Tips From the Author of "The UV Advantage" The Six Top Health Myths Sunlight Actually Prevents Cancer Valuable Insights Into the Importance of Vitamin D and Sun Sun Exposure Decreases Risk of MS Sun Protects Against Cancer