Research Indicates Sunbathing May Affect Your Microbiome

Research Suggests Sunbathing , Could Impact Your Microbiome.<br />'Newsweek' reports that research shows that in addition to increasing cancer risks and accelerating aging, <br />exposure to the sun can also disrupt the skin's microbiome.<br />Researchers from the University of Manchester found that <br />a week-long vacation's worth of sun could significantly <br />impact the skin's delicate balance of microbes.<br />Skin is colonized by a diverse microbiota <br />that play essential roles in the maintenance <br />of skin homeostasis [balance], protecting <br />skin against invading pathogens and <br />coordinating the innate and adaptive <br />arms of the cutaneous immune system, Abigail Langton, Lead author of the study, via 'Newsweek'.<br />The study, which was published in the journal <br />'Frontiers in Aging,' looked at the skin microbiomes of <br />21 volunteers before and after they went to the beach.<br />'Newsweek' reports that volunteers were split into three <br />groups: those who were already tan, those who tanned while on vacation and those who avoided the sun. .<br />The group that tanned while on vacation <br />were found to have lower levels of "good" <br />skin bacteria, specifically Proteobacteria. .<br />[Proteobacteria are] particularly interesting because a disturbed Proteobacteria microbiota has been previously associated with skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and diabetic foot ulcers, Abigail Langton, Lead author of the study, via 'Newsweek'.<br />[Proteobacteria are] particularly interesting because a disturbed Proteobacteria microbiota has been previously associated with skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and diabetic foot ulcers, Abigail Langton, Lead author of the study, via 'Newsweek'.<br />According to the team, it remains unclear <br />why Proteobacteria are particularly <br />sensitive to ultraviolet radiation.<br />Those individuals that avoided <br />developing a tan ('sun avoiders') <br />were the only ones that maintained <br />a diverse skin microbiota post-holiday, Abigail Langton, Lead author of the study, via 'Newsweek'