TanningBeds

Tanning Bed Light Is a
Good Source of Vitamin D

Derived from Feb 2002 issue of Tanning Trends Magazine
Vitamin D research guru Dr. Michael Holick is now on the verge of publishing the results of ITA-funded research,
confirming some long-believed theories about indoor tanning and Vitamin D production. "We think that in general the
population is in risk of Vitamin D deficiency chronically at all ages," Holick said. "Only by having adequate exposure to
sunlight or taking much more Vitamin D will satisfy your Vitamin D requirements."

Holick is the director of the General Clinic Research Center at the Boston University School of Medicine - a lofty,
credible position in the research community. He also directs the school's Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Center. He is
perhaps the world's most respected photo biologist who believes that the benefits of regular sun exposure received in a
non-burning fashion outweigh the risk.

The lack of Vitamin D, and what the deficiency can lead to, is Holick's main concern. Bone disease such as osteoporosis
and osteo malacia are linked to Vitamin D deprivation, and researchers this year have uncovered the mechanism by
which Vitamin D plays a role in the prevention of breast, colon, and prostate cancers. That discovery has Holick very
excited. "The dermatology community is beginning to rethink this issue," he explained. "It has been a long a tough battle
in trying to have them appreciate that there are some beneficial effects to the tanning process and being exposed to
sunlight."

Holick presented preliminary data on three studies he completed this year at the ITA Indoor Tanning World Expo. Here
is a glimpse at what Holick will be publishing in peer-reviewed medical journals in the coming months from research
conducted with funding from ITA:

1. UV LIGHT TREATS OSTEOPOROSIS

Holick has submitted a paper to the Journal of Gastroneurology summarizing a case study completed with funding from
the ITA and Smart Tan. The study is of a 61-year-old woman who came to his Vitamin D clinic, who was severely Vitamin
D deficient and showed signs of significant bone decay consistent with osteoporosis. "It was so severe when she came
to my office she couldn't sit down; she was in tears because all her bones ached so much," Holick explained. "So what
do you do? Tanning beds to the rescue."

2. TANNING BED LIGHT IS A GOOD SOURCE OF VITAMIN D

For years Holick has talked about the theory of "Vitamin D Winter" - a term he coined describing the fact that there is
not sufficient UVB outdoors from November through March in the Northeast for a person to even produce Vitamin D.
This may explain why so much of the population is Vitamin D deficient.

In 1998, Holick published a paper in the medical journal The Lancet showing that 41 percent of hospital patients at
Massachusetts General Hospital were Vitamin D deficient. Since that time, with funding from ITA, Holick has compiled
data on another group of chronically unexposed people: his own medical students, whose studies leave them little time
outdoors at all. "These are people who never see the light of day," Holick explained.

Forty-one percent of his medical students were Vitamin D deficient. But, upon exposure to the tanning beds in Holick's
lab, the condition was corrected. Holick will be publishing a paper on this data in the near future. "It will show that
tanning is a very effective way to maintain your Vitamin D status, " Holick Said.

His work with the medical students also produced some other results. Using a flash spectrometer purchased by Smart
Tan, Holick was able to "measure" and chart the progress of the students' tans. Two hours after tanning the group
showed immediate pigment darkening - a 2- to 3-percent increase in pigmentation. Within 48 hours, melanin content
increased up to 40 percent. Holick believes there may be a link between melanin production and Vitamin D production.

This data will help him explore that theory. "With adequate exposure to sunlight, dietary Vitamin D becomes
unnecessary. It is remarkable how exposure to sunlight a few times a week can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, osteo
malacia, muscle weakness, fractures and maybe some of the common cancers, but also to induce a sense of
well-being," Holick wrote in an article in The Lancet earlier this year.

Seasonal Affective Disorder
Light Therapy for "Winter Blues" Getting More Press

Derived from Tanning Trends, February 2001

Seasonal Affective Disorder - now recognized as an illness affecting 38 million Americans every winter - is getting more
press this year. Dr. Rosenthal, the Georgetown University researcher who was part of a group that first coined the term
"SAD" in 1984 is finally being recognized as a legitimate researcher investigating a legitimate disease. Rosenthal was a
pioneer in investigating the usage of bright full-spectrum "light therapy" to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder patients.

Rosenthal originally from South Africa came to New York City in 1976 for a psychiatric residency. After noticing he was
sluggish and "reluctant to get out of bed" in the winter months, Rosenthal postulated that less sunshine could be
causing his malaise. He tested his theory by exposing himself to bright light the next winter with lamps, and his
symptoms improved significantly.

"We did our fist controlled study of light therapy for SAD in 1984, and since then dozens of studies have been done,"
Rosenthal told CBS Healthwatch. "But there were some holdouts, People who insisted that it might be nothing more than
a placebo effect. But as of two years ago, three huge studies were done in a major medical journal that put all end to
discussion of placebo. In other words, ever major researcher agrees that light therapy works, specifically more than
placebo."

In a 1998 conference on positive and negative effects of ultraviolet light, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health,
Rosenthal told researchers and government officials he had encouraged some patients to try tanning salons (tanning
beds), and that indoor tanning seemed to improve their moods, raising speculation that a formal study on the effect of
tanning on SAD should be conducted. There are many theories about how light can affect mood, but no one is certain
how the relationship works.

Seasonal Affective Disorder:
Derived from May 2001 issue of Tanning Trends magazine.

The publicists at the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) are promoting research being conducted by Dr.
Michael Holick on the positive effects of ultraviolet light. The projects, funded by the indoor Tanning Association and the
International Smart Tan Network, put research "one step closer to uncovering other potential benefits of sunlight," BU
reports.

"Under his direction, a study is under way at BUSM that will, for the first time, quantitatively determine the effect of
repeatedly exposing adults to doses of simulated sunlight in a tanning bed similar to what they would receive in a
tanning salon," BU wrote in publicity this spring. Holick directs the Biologic Effects of Light Research Center at the
Boston University School of Medicine and is also the director of the bone Health Care Clinic at Boston Medical Center.

According to Holick, after the skin is exposed to sun, a complex underlying network of response pathways initiated via
hormonal and other biological systems occurs. "Understanding these interconnecting pathways is important to
understanding the healthful benefits and harmful effects of exposure to sunlight," he said.

Holick and his research team are currently analyzing skin biopsies from healthy males and females of all skin types who
have undergone ultraviolet radiation three times a week for three months. Using the Applied Biosystems Sequence
Detector, which was generously donated by ITA and Smart Tan, Holick is attempting to accurately detect gene activity in
the skin by measuring the number of RNA molecules produced by the various genes in the skin. "The machine permits
us, for the first time, to accurately determine how genes are affected by exposure to ultraviolet and visible radiation
comparable to when we are exposed to sunlight," he said. "This machine is invaluable in unlocking the secrets of how
sunlight effects humans."

In addition, Holick is also in the process of studying the participants' blood to determine their levels of vitamin D both
pre- and post-exposure, as well as looking at their liver and kidney function. Measurements of skin melanin
pigmentation and skin redness before and after light exposure is also being compared using a very sensitive flash
spectrophotometer, purchased for Holick by Smart Tan.

According to Holick most of the published information in the scientific literature and in the press on sunlight exposure is
negative. "However, it is likely that there are important beneficial effects, as well. We hope, that as a result of this study,
we may soon know what those are," he added.