• Ultraviolet radiation from the sun thought to be cause of skin melanomas
• But Swedish researchers have found that women who avoid sunshine are twice as likely to die from any cause -  including cancer
• Study asked 29,518 Swedish women to monitor their sunbathing habits

• It goes against everything we've been told about sun worshiping.
  

  But a new study has shown that women who avoid sunbathing during the summer are twice as likely to die than those who sunbathe everyday.

  Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden claim guidelines which advise people to stay out of the sun unless wearing sun lotion may be harming us, rather than helping us.
  

   
  

Could sunbathing be good for us? Researchers say guidelines advising us to stay out of the sun may be harmful

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight is often cited as a cause of skin melanoma and the NHS recommends avoiding overexposure to the sun to prevent all types of skin cancer.

But after following nearly 30,000 women over 20 years, the new research found that women who stay out of the sun are at increased risk of skin melanomas and are twice as likely to die from any cause, including cancer.

The study's lead author, Dr Pelle Lindqvist, said: 'The results of this study clearly showed that mortality was about double in women who avoided sun exposure compared to the highest exposure group.

'Sun exposure advice which is very restrictive in countries with low solar intensity might in fact be harmful for women’s health.

Essential: Our bodies need vitamin D, created through exposure to sunlight, to reduce the risk of illness

'The mortality rate was increased two-fold among avoiders of sun exposure as compared to those with the highest sun exposure habits.'

A lack of vitamin D, which is created through exposure to the sun, is thought to be to blame, as it is known to increase the risk of diabetes, rickets, tuberculosis and multiple sclerosis.

Prof Dorothy Bennett, Professor of Cell Biology at St George's, University of London, said: 'The findings support the consensus that the ideal amount of sun exposure for Northern Europeans is ‘a little’, rather than zero.

'As the authors comment, our bodies need sunlight to make essential vitamin D, which can help us resist some cancer types.

'Those who normally avoid the sun and/or cover most of their skin are advised to take vitamin D supplements.'

The research was published in The Journal of Internal Medicine.