Health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risks of skin cancer in gloomier parts of the UK, research suggests

Participants are not representative of the population — the UK BioBank only includes people between the ages of 37 and 73 at recruitment

On average, deaths occurred later in people who lived in sunnier parts of the UK, or used a sunbed at least once a year

Professor Kevin McConway, an emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, said

Dermatologists traditionally only considered possible harm to the skin caused by sunlight, much of which dates from the experience of white-skinned individuals in sunny countries such as Australia

Professor Richard Weller, from the university’s Centre for Inflammation Research, said

Our paper adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that in lower-light environments, relatively higher exposure to UV is good for your health

Professor Chris Dibben, of the university’s School of GeoSciences, said

The benefits of UV exposure may outweigh the risks in low-sunlight countries.