Are there ANY health benefits to a tanning bed?

[chela]

@Dr_Paprika

It means that mineral sunscreens are often held up as the “cleaner” option, when there’s no good evidence that either is harmful. (There is little also evidence of harm to coral reefs or vitamin D synthesis, as is sometimes argued.)

Sunscreen Chemicals and Coral Reefs

[Dr_Paprika]

I’ve read some opposing views. I am summarizing an article. In fairness, it says:

And whether sunscreen actually harms coral reefs is contentious. While reef-safe sunscreen has become a thing, and places like Hawaii have banned certain sunscreens, what the world’s coral is really threatened by is warming oceans. “Based on the current evidence, I don’t think oxybenzone is much of a concern for our health or for coral,” says Wong. “For most of us, it’s just not that much of a concern.” (One caveat is that Wong agrees it’s probably best not to put sunscreen on babies under six months, due to the permeability of their skin.)

The other common worry is whether sunscreen inhibits vitamin D absorption—a contention popularized by a polarizing article in Outside magazine in 2018 (the publication’s most popular piece to date). This is not something to worry about. Even if we put enough on, which most people don’t, sunscreen will never block all sun exposure, which means a little UV will always get through. Even in a gloomy country like the UK, people only need to sit in the sun for 10 minutes in the middle of the day between April and September to stave off vitamin D deficiency for the rest of the year, says Neale.

[DrDeth]

@Dr_Paprika

Even in a gloomy country like the UK, people only need to sit in the sun for 10 minutes in the middle of the day between April and September to stave off vitamin D deficiency for the rest of the year, says Neale.

Maybe.

Altho indeed, avoiding too much sun is a Good idea, please note that like 35% of Americans have a Vitamin D deficiency.

Prevalence, trend, and predictor analyses of vitamin D deficiency in the US...

[BippityBoppityBoo]

@Dr_Paprika

Here are brief excerpts from the long Wired article:

Thank you for posting those. Interesting reading.

[Jackmannii]

Let’s see: should we get vitamin D from food and/or supplementation, or go to a tanning salon?

Decisions, decisions…

[DrDeth]

@Jackmannii

Let’s see: should we get vitamin D from food…

Fatty Fish, liver and egg yolks- but you’d have to eat more than a dozen per day.of that last . This is why Vit D is the most common deficiency in America. Mind you- some foods are fortified with Vit D, but you know how nutso people are- “raw milk” etc.

So I- NOT A REAL DOCTOR- (nor do I play on on TV, but I do play one in a RPG… ) suggest the second part of your post-

@Jackmannii

and/or supplementation,

I don’t suggest tanning beds for Vit D, since many dont even have that benefit.

Mind you a few minutes in the sun each day is a good idea for many reasons. Dont overdo it, of course.