mean slathering on the sunscreen, which may actually increase your
risk of skin cancer, but rather limit exposure to the midday summer
sun and avoid sunbathing. And, gradually build up your natural tan.
Tanning is the body’s natural defense against sunburn and skin cancer.
Second, be mindful of your diet and how this affects your skin
and its reactions to the sun. Certain antioxidants, phytonutrients and
oils have a profound effect on how your body reacts to sunshine.
Naturally occurring antioxidants in foods (and real-food supple-
ments), including vitamins C and E, the carotenoids, selenium, and
the phytonutrient lycopene, help protect both the skin — and the eyes
— from damaging effects of the sun. Folate is also important since sig-
BEATING THE CANCER ODDS • 333Sunscreen
Many people use sunscreen to prevent cancer. Actually, sun-
screen may promote cancer in two ways. First, using sunscreen
when spending a lot of time in the sun gives people the false
sense that it’s OK to stay in the sun for longer periods of time.
Since sunscreen won’t block all the sun’s rays, increased expo-
sure increases your risk of sun damage. Second, there is a rela-
tionship between the chemicals used in sunscreen and cancer
development.
Early in their development, sunscreens contained PABA (para-
aminobenzoic acid) to absorb sunlight, but these sunscreens
quietly disappeared from the market when it was learned that
this substance causes DNA damage. Subsequent products were
found to promote free radicals, which also contribute to cancer.
The latest sunscreens contain elements such as titanium diox-
ide or zinc oxide to scatter or reflect sunlight, but unfortunate-
ly these chemicals can also form free radicals on the skin; tita-
nium dioxide has been linked to DNA damage as well.
The next generation of sun-protection products may simply be
natural compounds such as antioxidants, carotenoids,
flavonoids, phytonutrients and essential fatty acids. These, cou-
pled with a good tan and common sense when it comes to sun
exposure, will do the most to prevent skin cancer.