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The annual yield of vitamin D is 3.4 and 4.8 times larger below the equator than in the U.K. and Scandinavia, respectively. In populations with similar skin types, there are clear latitude gradients of all major forms of skin cancer, indicating a north\u2013south gradient in real sun exposure. Surprisingly, the incidence rates of major internal cancers also increase from north to south. However, the survival prognosis also improves significantly from north to south. Reasons for these findings are discussed in view of the role of vitamin D. In Norway, melanoma rates increased by a factor of 6 from 1960 to 1990, while the prognosis improved in the same period. After 1990, melanoma rates have remained constant or even decreased in age groups &lt;50 years, whereas the prognosis has not improved further. These data, together with those for internal cancers and the beneficial effects of an optimal vitamin D status, indicate that increased sun exposure may lead to improved cancer prognosis and, possibly, give more positive than adverse health effects.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0710615105","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2008,1,7]],"date-time":"2008-01-07T20:58:11Z","timestamp":1199739491000},"page":"668-673","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.cm10313","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":193,"title":["Addressing the health benefits and risks, involving vitamin D or skin cancer, of increased sun exposure"],"prefix":"10.1073","volume":"105","author":[{"given":"Johan","family":"Moan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"*Department of Radiation Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Montebello, 0310 Oslo, Norway;"},{"name":"Department of Physics, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway; and"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alina Carmen","family":"Porojnicu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"*Department of Radiation Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Montebello, 0310 Oslo, Norway;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arne","family":"Dahlback","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physics, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway; and"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Richard B.","family":"Setlow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973-5000"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"341","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2008,1,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_1_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2133.2006.07268.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2133.2006.07261.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/CMR.0b013e328042bb36"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4065\/81.4.500"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsbmb.2006.09.014"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10552-004-1661-4"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ajcn\/79.3.362"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1006\/jhev.2000.0403"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1054\/mehy.1997.0697"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(82)90214-8"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.abb.2006.12.017"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_12_2","first-page":"179","volume-title":"Skin Cancer Prevention","author":"Moan J","year":"2006","unstructured":"J Moan, AC Porojnicu, A Dahlback Skin Cancer Prevention, eds U Ringborg, Y Brandberg, EW Breitbart, R Greinert (Informa Healthcare, New York), pp. 179\u2013201 (2006)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","volume-title":"Sunlight, Vitamin D, Skin Cancer","author":"Moan J","year":"2007","unstructured":"J Moan, AC Porojnicu, A Dahlback Sunlight, Vitamin D, Skin Cancer, ed J Reichrath (Landes Bioscience, Austin, TX, 2007)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/bjc.1981.288"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1097-0215(19971009)73:2<198::AID-IJC6>3.0.CO;2-R"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4899-2406-3_10"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1008872014889"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1751-1097.2006.tb09821.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ophtha.2005.04.020"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.annepidem.2007.01.030"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00774-004-0553-8"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s001980170012"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_23_2","first-page":"211","article-title":"Vitamin D status and its relation to age and body mass index.","volume":"66","author":"Bischof MG","year":"2006","unstructured":"MG Bischof, G Heinze, H Vierhapper, Vitamin D status and its relation to age and body mass index. 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