Nude Sunbathing 

Most sunbathers think nude sunbathing is perfectly natural and don't mind crossing paths with bottomless beach-goers -- even when those bottoms are unsightly, survey results released Sunday said. While topless sunbathing is widely practiced in Italy, bottoms are usually required and nudists can face fines of more than 500 euros ($595) on some beaches, the Italian Naturalist Federation said. But the federation said a poll it commissioned from a mainstream media outlet found nearly 70 percent of those surveyed said they would sunbath nude if everyone else did it. More than 80 percent said nudism was not erotic, but natural. Women were more frequently bothered by nude sunbathing than men. Just over 40 percent of women said they did not like seeing other naked females on the beach, while just 5 percent of men shared their opinion about nude women. The survey found nearly two-thirds of men said they weren't bothered by nude male sunbathers. When it came to unattractive or "brutto" sunbathers, most of those surveyed in the country that champions physical beauty said they didn't object to seeing them naked either. Only about 16 percent said they were vexed by unattractive women nudists and 9.7 percent objected to unsightly men. The Federation said the survey would bolster their hopes of getting more beaches set aside for nude sunbathing.

Sunbathing nude prevents those nasty tan lines and allows the entire body to benefit from the positive effects of the sun!

NO TAN IS A HEALTHY TAN, say most dermatologists. They cite dozens of studies that link sun exposure to premature wrinkles, cataracts, and skin cancer. To prevent these problems, some recommend that you avoid the sun as much as possible and slather on sunscreen whenever you go out, even if you're only going out for a few minutes. But the sun doesn't just have a dark side. "Anybody who tells you you're supposed to wear sunscreen in the winter all day every day, even in the office, hasn't looked at the data," says Marianne Berwick, Ph.D., a researcher and epidemiologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. In fact, research shows that sun exposure is necessary for good health; it boosts your mood, strengthens your bones, and may lower your risk for certain cancers, among other benefits.

The sun helps your body make vitamin D, and you can thank this nutrient for most of the sun's health benefits. You can get vitamin D by eating foods like fortified milk and fatty fish and by taking supplements. But many experts believe the sun is a better source of D because your body may not absorb an adequate amount of this nutrient from foods or supplements. But you won't get enough vitamin D if you go out in the sun wearing sunscreen.