Doctors in China have reported a concerning case of a woman who broke a bone simply by rolling in bed—a result of years of avoiding sunlight and overusing sunscreen.
At the XinDu Traditional Medicine Hospital in Chengdu, a 48-year-old woman suffered an unexpected bone fracture while rolling over in her bed. Dr. Long Shuang, who oversaw her treatment, revealed that tests showed she had extremely low vitamin D levels and severe osteoporosis, making her bones dangerously brittle.
Further investigation into her lifestyle revealed a significant factor behind her condition. The woman had spent most of her life avoiding direct sunlight. She wore long sleeves year-round and was meticulous about applying sunscreen whenever she stepped outdoors. Although this routine protected her skin from sun damage, it also deprived her body of the sunlight needed to naturally produce vitamin D, a crucial nutrient for bone health and calcium absorption.
“It is not uncommon to see people covering their entire body from head to toe to protect themselves from the sun. It is really unhealthy,” said Jiang Xiaobing, director of the Department of Orthopaedic Spine Surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. “All the bones in our body are renewed every 10 years, but from the age of 30, we start to lose bone mass at a rate of 0.5 to 1% per year. Low calcium intake, lack of sunlight exposure, and vitamin D deficiency all hinder calcium absorption.”
While sunscreen is essential for preventing skin cancer and premature ageing, doctors caution against excessive use or complete sun avoidance. Moderate sunlight exposure is critical for maintaining healthy vitamin D levels, which in turn support immune function and bone strength.
