Yes, we're all different. I and the kids are quite dark and tan easily.
Just out of interest, here's the kind of news story I had in mind:
'For years, we have seen these aggressive campaigns aimed at cutting back on any exposure to the sun because of concerns about skin cancer,' he said. 'But sunlight is the normal and natural source of vitamin D and, unlike food or vitamin pills, it is free. Some 60 per cent of people in the UK have insufficient amounts of the nutrient in their blood, so they are almost certainly at a higher than average risk of developing cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and a number of other diseases.'
Others also believe that the warnings have gone too far. Neil Walker, a consultant dermatologist and leading skin cancer expert, warned recently that messages that you had to to avoid the sun entirely are 'Draconian and unnecessary'.
His view was supported by Professor Brian Wharton, from the Institute of Child Health in London, who is worried that rickets may be making a comeback in children from Asian and African-Caribbean families, as their darker skin makes it harder to synthesise enough vitamin D. He said: 'We do need some sensible use of the sun and we have been swinging too strongly against it.'
The change follows a growing number of studies showing the dangers of vitamin D deficiency. This year, a joint British/US study suggested that teenage girls might need more vitamin D to cut the risk of breast cancer later in life. They found that women with the highest levels of the vitamin were up to 50 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer.
But in Britain, for six months of the year the sun is too weak for skin to synthesise vitamin D. A lifestyle spent in offices and cars exacerbates the problem, as does air pollution, which means less of the sun's UV radiation reaches the ground.