Should You Follow Gwyneth Paltrow’s Sun Rule?

Vivian Goldschmidt, MA Lifestyle

Evidence-Based
5 min Read
gwyneth paltrow

I usually don’t pay much attention to celebrity gossip, much less write about it. But I believe that as long as we keep our minds and eyes open, we can learn something from everyone. After all, celebrities are people too, and they are not immune to the health conditions that affect the rest of us.

Gwyneth Paltrow is a talented and beautiful actress who has won all sorts of prestigious awards for her work. Like many celebrities, Gwyneth places great importance on her appearance and her health. And that’s understandable; when you’re an actress, looking good is a big part of your job.

Lessons We Can Learn from Gwyneth Paltrow

This young celebrity sustained a leg fracture (specifically, a tibial plateau fracture) in 2010. That’s when doctors discovered something shocking for someone under the age of 40: osteopenia. They also discovered severe Vitamin D deficiency, “the lowest they had ever seen,” wrote Gwyneth on her blog.1 At that point, she “went on a prescription strength level of Vitamin D and was told to…spend a bit of time in the sun!”1 she writes.

Gwyneth wondered if this sun exposure would be “safe.” After all, she had carefully followed the advice that was commonly given to her generation for age-defying beauty: avoid the sun.

If you are a Save Our Bones community member, you are most certainly seeing some red flags pop up here!

Gwyneth’s Lifestyle Habits

As I said above, I believe everyone can teach us something if we pay attention. So what can we learn from Gwyneth? First, let’s take a look at some of her lifestyle habits.

  • Gwyneth’s age-defying beauty has been ascribed to her strict no-sun rule. She is said to have never left her home without first applying sunblock.
  • She periodically engaged in drastic detoxes and cleanses. (Hopefully, she will discover the Osteoporosis Fresh Start Cleanse, which is much healthier!)
  • She followed a macrobiotic diet for much of her adult life, which is grain-based, contains a lot of soy products, and is not consistent with the 80/20 pH-balanced diet recommended in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program.

Gwyneth’s No-Sun Rule has Backfired

Of all the lifestyle habits above, the first one – Gwyneth’s no-sun rule – is a major factor in her osteopenia diagnosis. Avoiding the sun has compromised her health to the point that her other health habits did her more harm than good. How ironic that this actress, whose lifestyle gave her an ageless appearance in so many ways, caused her bones to “age” prematurely!

Gwyneth’s dermatologist, Dr. Frank Lipman, agrees as to the importance of Vitamin D and sun exposure, commenting that:

“For the last 30 years or so, doctors (dermatologists in particular), health officials, beauty experts and many product companies have been demonizing the sun. They’ve told us to avoid it because without sunscreen, exposure to the sun’s rays will damage skin and cause cancer. But this oversimplification distorts the facts. In the past few years, numerous studies have shown that optimizing your Vitamin D levels may actually help prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers. And the best way to optimize Vitamin D levels is through safe, smart and limited sunscreen-free exposure to the sun.”2

I’m really glad that Dr. Lipman has strayed from the flock, and I agree with him on this, as regular readers already know. In fact, in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, I recommend some sun exposure every day whenever possible.

Here are some more guidelines for healthy exposure to the sun

  • Expose as much skin as possible to the sun. You may want to wear a hat to shade your face while exposing larger areas of your body to the sun.
  • Going outside when your shadow is shorter than your height – typically between 10am and 2pm – is the best time for maximum Vitamin D production.
  • Short, daily exposure is best, between 15 and 20 minutes.
  • Avoid sunburn.
  • You can use a sunlamp during winter months. Just be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and use a sunlamp that’s specifically designed to promote Vitamin D production.

Good for Gwyneth!

I applaud Gwyneth Paltrow for her open mind, and for not being afraid to ask questions and seek solutions. She knows better than to continue a practice that’s clearly harmful just because “it’s the way we’ve always done it.” I hope she will apply her doctors’ recommendations and get healthy exposure to sunlight and reverse her bone loss. I wish her the best!

Maybe her inquisitive mind and search for answers will bring her to the Save Our Bones community… I hope so!

Till next time,

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References

1 Paltrow, Gwyneth. “Vitamin D.” Goop. March 26, 2013. Web. https://www.goop.com/journal/do/88/vitamin-d
2 Jolene. “Gwyneth’s Derm Talks Vitamin D, Sun Exposure and Aging.” Beauty is Wellness. March 26, 2013. Web. https://www.beautyiswellness.com/featured/gwyneths-derm-talks-vitamin-d-sun-exposure-and-aging/