While it is well known that sunlight is an important source of vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones, scientists have now discovered that sunlight may also play a key role in heart health.

They even suggest that the benefits to the heart may outweigh the risk of skin cancer, which is commonly caused by too much sun exposure.

The scientists from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland assessed the blood pressure of 24 people using tanning lamps.

In one 20-minute session, the participants were exposed to both the heat of the lamps and UV rays. In a second 20-minute session, they were only exposed to the heat of the lamps.

The study found that the blood pressure of those exposed to both the heat and UV rays dropped significantly for one hour following the tanning session. Blood pressure remained the same when the participants were exposed to heat only.

The scientists said that this shows that it is the sun's UV rays that reduce blood pressure. They then went on to show that when the skin is exposed to sunlight, a compound is released into the body's blood vessels that helps to reduce blood pressure.

A reduction in blood pressure reduces a person's overall risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. In fact, according to the scientists, heart disease and stroke that are linked to high blood pressure cause around 80 times more deaths than skin cancer.

"We suspect that the benefits to heart health of sunlight will outweigh the risk of skin cancer. We now plan to look at the relative risks of heart disease and skin cancer in people who have received different amounts of sun exposure. If this confirms that sunlight reduces the death rate from all causes, we will need to reconsider our advice on sun exposure," explained Dr Richard Weller, a senior lecturer in dermatology at the university.