My ancestors pretty clearly lived mostly in the woods in an area with little annual sunlight, and consumed a fair amount of wheat.
For years this has been my bane: any lengthy sun exposure, say an hour or more, would leave me roasted. To top it off, I hate sunscreen.
So I developed an extensive collection of hats, and learned to wear long-sleeved shirts on hot days.
Then at the end of last winter I read this post by Stephan Guyenet*:
"There's a mouse model of skin cancer called the Skh:HR-1 hairless mouse. When exposed to UV rays and/or topical carcinogens, these mice develop skin cancer just like humans (especially fair-skinned humans). Researchers have been studying the factors that determine their susceptibility to skin cancer, and fat is a dominant one. Specifically, their susceptibility to skin cancer is determined by the amount of linoleic acid in the diet."Post moved to Substack.
I'll have to read that post, but I've noticed this year that I've rarely burned. I don't take vitamin D supplements, but I've been increasing my doses in the sun. I had a nice tan (on the parts I'm willing to expose), but never really burnt, except once I think.
ReplyDeleteI also abhor sunscreen, and will rarely wear it. Definitely need to look at that linoleic acid thing though. Lots of changes to be made about myself..
Fascinating. I'd love to see a post on linoleic acid, and what foods to avoid...(Perhaps you've done one already?)
ReplyDeleteThe Other Scott
I've got a post on linoleic acid on deck. The starting point is avoiding vegetable oils other than coconut and olive.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteIncredible
ReplyDelete