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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (54704)	7/17/2004 2:35:20 PM
From: Lane3	Respond to of 793759

<<Reclassification of obesity will create new Medicare entitlements>> In light of your reaction to that, I thought you might like to see what's waiting in the wings... <g> Tanning is addictive, researchers declare By Andre Picard TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL The list of vices just got a little longer as tanning joins smoking, drinking and other sorts of behavior that bring pleasure as well as pain. Researchers say people love tanning, despite the increased risk of burning and developing skin cancer, because those browning ultraviolet rays are addictive. "Our data suggest that an important reason people tan is that it feels good," said Anthony Liguori, an associate professor of physiology and pharmacology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. He said tanners are well aware of the risks, but the "druglike effect" may keep them coming back for more - whether from sunlight or from tanning beds. UV rays appear to trigger the release of endorphins, which are morphinelike substances in the brain that block pain, heighten pleasure, and have been associated with some addictions, Liguori said. The study, published in the recent Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, was conducted on a small group of frequent clients of tanning salons. During a six-week period, they were offered thrice-weekly tanning sessions. Unknown to them, some of the tanning beds emitted ultraviolet light and some did not. The participants consistently reported being in a better mood after having spent time in the UV bed, and when given a choice they invariably chose the bed emitting ultraviolet light (even though there was no otherwise discernible difference between the two). Liguori said the tanners' emotions were independent of the pleasure derived from feeling more attractive with brown skin. He said they were discernibly happier. But most of the participants also said they could not go more than a few days without another tanning session or they would feel down. Darrel Riggell, a professor of dermatology at the New York University Medical Center, said that is a tell-tale sign that there is a chemical reaction within the body. "It's fair to think of tanning as an addiction," he said. "If the definition is performing a behavior that makes you feel good but is unhealthful and is a habit that is hard to break without a significant effort, then tanning clearly qualifies." UV radiation from both the sun and from artificial sources have been linked to skin cancer - one of the most common and fastest-growing forms of the disease. The authors of the new research note that as awareness has grown about the risks of excessive exposure to the sun, people have increasingly turned to tanning salons and tanning sprays and lotions. In the past decade, the number of Americans who have gone to tanning salons has increased threefold, creating a $5 billion-a-year industry in the United States. Teenagers, and adolescent girls in particular, are some of the most loyal customers.