Most replayed moment: How to Balance Sunlight and Suncream | Professor John McGrath
6/9/202614 min
Today we’re talking about skin and sunlight. Skin and sunlight have a complicated relationship. Sunlight helps our bodies produce vitamin D, which is essential for overall health. However, too much exposure can accelerate skin ageing and increase the risk of skin cancer. So how much sun is enough? Are most of us getting too little, or too much? And where does sunscreen fit into a healthy daily routine? I’m joined by Professor John McGrath to explore how sunlight affects our skin, and how to strike the perfect balance 🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily 30+ Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE Follow ZOE on Instagram.📚Books by our ZOE Scientists The Food For Life Cookbook Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector Free resources from ZOE Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks Better Breakfast Guide Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here Listen to the full episode here
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJonathan Wolf· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hello, and welcome to Zoe Recap, where each week we find the best bits from one of our podcast episodes to help you improve your health. Today we're talking about skin and sunlight. Skin and sunlight have a complicated relationship. Sunlight helps our bodies produce vitamin D, which is essential for overall health. However, too much exposure can accelerate skin aging and increase the risk of skin cancer. So how much sun is enough? Are most of us getting too little or too much? And where does sunscreen fit into a healthy daily routine? I'm joined by Professor John McGrath to explore how sunlight affects our skin and how to strike the perfect balance. What's actually happening on the surface of my skin every day?
John McGrath· Guest0:48
Well, this amazing organ that you have, the skin, you know, as an adult you've got 1.8 square meters of, uh, amazing carpet, which we recognize as this barrier that keeps the outside out and the inside in, and also has its own appearances too. It's a very dynamic structure, you know, the outer layer of your skin is replacing itself every four weeks in reaction to the external environment. You really have to build up this barrier to protect, uh, yourself. And it's rather amazing what skin can do in terms of, uh, its function. You know, it's there not only to look nice, but it also protects you. It protects you against inflammation, against