The Case for Sunshine (with Rowan Jacobsen) - Econlib
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The Case for Sunshine (with Rowan Jacobsen)
Jun 15 2026
Skin cancer comes from the sun. But so do many good things, according to author Rowan Jacobsen. Jacobsen talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the health benefits of sunshine and makes the case for prudent sun exposure. Topics discussed include the "heliotherapy" movement that peaked in the early 1900s in response to rickets and tuberculosis, why diagnosing skin cancer is on the rise, and why yesterday's sunscreens may have done more harm than good.
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This week's guest:<br>Rowan Jacobsen's Home page<br>Rowan Jacobsen on Truffle Hound Rowan Jacobsen on Truffle Hound. EconTalk.<br>Your Favorite Episodes of 2021. Results of the 2021 EconTalk Listener Survey.
This week's focus:<br>In Defense of Sunlight: The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure, by Rowan Jacobsen at Amazon.com.*<br>Additional ideas and people mentioned in this podcast episode:<br>"Evolution of the Clinical, Dermoscopic and Pathologic Diagnosis of Melanoma," by Harald Kittler. Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, 2021.<br>"Vitamin D Supplements and Prevention of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease," by JoAnn E. Manson, M.D., Dr.P.H., Nancy R. Cook, Sc.D., et al, for the VITAL Research Group. New England Journal of Medicine, Nov. 10, 2018.<br>Vitamin D, some EconTalk discussions: Peter Attia on Lifespan, Healthspan, and Outlive. EconTalk.<br>How to Be a Super Ager (with Eric Topol). EconTalk.<br>Eric Topol on the Creative Destruction of Medicine. EconTalk.
A few more readings and background resources:<br>Richard Weller Professor Richard Weller's Research. Centre for Inflammation Research.<br>Richard Weller: Could the sun be good for your heart? TED Talk.<br>"Risk–benefit balance of habitual ultraviolet exposure for cardiovascular, cancer, and skin cancer mortality: UK Biobank cohort study," by Jiayue Gu, Andrew C. Stevenson, Annie R. Brady, Graeme J.M. Cowan, Chris Dibben, Richard B. Weller.
A few more EconTalk podcast episodes:<br>Greg Ip on Foolproof. EconTalk.<br>What Modern Medicine Gets Wrong (with Marty Makary). EconTalk.<br>Sam Peltzman on Regulation. EconTalk.
More related EconTalk podcast episodes, by Category:<br>Health and Health Care<br>Data and Evidence<br>ALL ECONTALK CATEGORIES<br>* As an Amazon Associate, Econlib earns from qualifying purchases.
AUDIO TRANSCRIPT
TimePodcast Episode Highlights0:37Intro. [Recording date: May 18, 2026.]<br>Russ Roberts: Today is May 18th, 2026, and my guest is author Rowan Jacobsen. He was last here in October of 2021, talking about his book Truffle Hound. That episode tied for first place in our annual poll of favorite episodes of the year. His latest book is In Defense of Sunlight: The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure.<br>Rowan, welcome back to EconTalk.<br>Rowan Jacobsen: Thanks, Russ. Great to be back. I hope I get another first place this year.
Russ Roberts: Well, we'll see. We'll see. You might have to rig the voting like you did the last time--multiple times.<br>Rowan Jacobsen: Hey, it worked last time.
1:11Russ Roberts: Yeah. We're going to be talking about a number of issues related to health. I want to remind listeners, we do not dispense medical advice on this show. Even though I am a doctor, I'm not the kind that helps people. As we all know, I'm a Doctor of Philosophy [Ph.D.] in economics. You should take everything you hear with a grain, or more, of salt. But, this is a very interesting, provocative, and contrarian take on what, for a long time, was received wisdom. So, let's get started.<br>What's the central idea of this book, Rowan?<br>Rowan Jacobsen: The basic idea is that we are now at a point where enough science has filled in that we need to reconsider what has been, as you say, the...