Sunlight may help prevent some lung cancers, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The study found that lower levels of the sun's ultraviolet B (UVB) rays are associated with a higher incidence of lung cancer across 111 countries.

In countries where people are exposed to more sunlight -- such as Malawi and Benin -- lung cancer rates are lower than those with fewer hours of sun, such as Britain.

"Lower levels of UVB (medium wave ultraviolet) were associated with higher levels of lung cancer," said Dr. Cedric Garland, study senior author and professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

However, the study also pointed out that it doesn't mean that spending more time in the sun will ever offset the risks that come with smoking.

It's also not an excuse to trade skin cancer for lung cancer. So doctors recommend that people get some sunlight around 15 minutes per day.

"The problem is that people might over-interpret this and stay in the sun for hours," said Garland, adding, however, too little sun isn't great either, since sunlight helps the skin manufacture healthy vitamin D.

But other experts argued that the focus should stay on cigarette smoking as the number one cause of lung cancer.

"When you have such a strong factor as tobacco, it really weighs out all these other small influences," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at the Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, LA.

More than one million people die of lung cancer worldwide each year. Cigarette smoking causes about 85 percent of lung cancers.

(Agencies via Xinhua December 19, 2007)