Sunbathing for just ONE DAY increases your risk of heart disease – and stop the body fighting infections, study finds

It’s no secret: staying in the sun for a long time is bad for your health.

In addition to headaches and the risk of heatstroke, sunbathing significantly increases the risk of skin cancer, with 70% of cases linked to sun exposure.

But now researchers have added two more serious harms to the list: heart disease and a destroyed immune system.

Scientists at the University of Louisville in Kentucky have found that just a day spent in a warm outdoor environment can increase the telltale signs of inflammation in the body by at least 10 percent.

Some of these signs – the release of inflammatory compounds that lead to a spiral of internal damage – are explicitly linked to plaque buildup in the arteries, leading to heart disease.

The study also showed a 6% drop in essential immune system cells, called B cells, which help the body fight viruses and germs.

For the study, 624 adults had their blood drawn once during the summer months between May 2018 and September 2019.

The average temperature on the days participants went to the clinic for blood tests was 76 degrees Fahrenheit (24.5 degrees Celsius).

Researchers analyzed the blood tests for several markers to show how the immune system was performing.

They were specifically studying the levels of key compounds released by the immune system when it detects injury, such as T and B lymphocytes, as well as cytokines (signaling molecules that can trigger inflammation).

They then looked at how the markers relate to heat levels, including temperature and net effective temperature, which takes into account humidity, air temperature and wind speed.

They also compared the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), which takes into account temperature, humidity, wind speed and ultraviolet radiation levels.

They found that for every five degrees increase in UTCI, there was an increase in natural killer T cells, suggesting that inflammation had occurred in the body.

This difference, the researchers found, was equivalent to spending a day without heat versus a day with moderate heat stress.

There was a 10 percent increase in killer T cells in participants’ blood, which activate the immune system and trigger an inflammatory response in the body to protect against pathogens and injury.

Although inflammation is a normal part of the body’s defenses against infection, a consistent inflammatory response over time (lasting weeks or even months), or occurring in healthy tissues, is damaging and plays a key role in the buildup of plaque in the arteries. .

This can lead to the development of coronary heart disease and heart attacks.

The researchers also saw a seven percent decrease in the number of B cells, suggesting a reduction in the part of the immune system that remembers specific viruses and creates antibodies to fight them.

“Our study participants were only slightly exposed to high temperatures on the day of their blood draw. However, even minor exposure can contribute to changes in immune markers,” said the lead author of the study. study, Daniel Riggs, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Louisville.

Professor Riggs added that adults over 60 and adults with existing cardiovascular disease are at particular risk of heat-related cardiovascular events and deaths.

“With rising global temperatures, the association between heat exposure and a temporarily weakened immune system response is concerning, as temperature and humidity are known to be important environmental factors in the transmission of infectious diseases airborne.”

“So during the hottest days of summer, people may be more at risk of being exposed to heat, but they may also be more vulnerable to illness or inflammation.”