There’s so much “fear” promoted everywhere one looks. (understatement of the year). Be it regarding red meat, climate, salt consumption and of course getting sunshine. A recent interview between Dr. Roger Seheult and Dr. Ken Berry offers one of the most common sense as well as insightful research talks on “Sunlight is Medical Magic,” that I’ve heard in ages, highly recommend.
Many simple take-aways from the talk is as humans we’ve involved to be outdoors, and our bodies require intelligent regular minutes in the sun. Read that again, “intelligent” meaning Don’t Stare, Don’t Burn and Cover Up as Needed. Give your body time to build up a tolerance of skin exposure by smart bouts of time in the sun.
The benefits go way beyond just getting Vitamin D. In fact, researcher Stephanie Seneff, Ph D eloquently speaks about “Sunlight and Vitamin D: They’re Not the Same Thing.” Ms. Seneff offers great insight on the mechanisms for which our skin captures the sun’s energy.
“I believe that the mechanism with which we safely exploit the sun’s energy is through the oxidation of sulfur to sulfate, with the help of cholesterol. This reaction takes place in the skin—catalyzed by sunlight—and it is vital to our long-term health.”
Seneff goes on to say the supplementation of Vitamin D doesn’t have the same benefits.
“Many studies show that vitamin D supplementation cannot reproduce sunlight’s health benefits. Moreover, excessive vitamin D supplementation can aggravate systemic sulfate deficiency, which will drive calcium buildup in the arteries.”
Understanding many individuals in certain geographic areas are challenged by the lack of sunlight and might need supplementation. However, augmenting supplements with the real deal whenever possible is highly advantageous. Dr. Eric Berg has a short video here, in which he describes how many minutes does one need dependent on location and skin exposure. He has another good one on, The Sun’s Benefits are Way More than Vitamin D.
Among our health coaching client base we see numerous individuals getting positive support in the realm of sleep enhancement, stress management and general mood improvement through regular morning sunlight (red light) routines. The science behind this practice can be found in Andrew Huberman, PhD’s Light and Sun Exposure Guide.
Two ever promising concepts talked widely among the carnivore as well as the low-carb communities is removing both seed oils and sunscreens from one’s regime. Heart surgeon Dr. Philip Ovadia covers both of those topics in this article, Seed Oil, Sunscreen and Sunlight: The Facts You Need to Know.
As mentioned at the top of the post, be intelligent, but the concept among seed oil reduction in one’s overall nutrition simply relates to less inflammation in the body, better functioning cellular, especially mitochondrial, which encourages LESS chance the skin is reactionary (read burns less). If wanting more on seed oil consumption look to Dr. Chris Knobbe and Dr. Cate Shanahan who have researched the topic immensely.
On the toxicity of sunscreens Chris Kresser, MS, highlights some of the key elements one might want to avoid in most chemical solutions in his article, Are Your Skincare Products Toxic? Sunsceen. In the article there are multiple links to homemade solutions if you are in need. Bottom line sunscreen is really tempting your body to stay longer in the sun than might be good for you. Common sense, get out and cover up but don’t let this keep you from getting some smart minutes maybe early or late in the day.
Additionally, longtime trainer and low-carb advocate, Dr. Phil Maffetone makes the case for good eye and brain health with safe sunlight in, Sunlight: Good For the Eyes as well as the Brain. Anecdotally many in the carnivore community talk about improvements in eye health with their nutritional changes, specifically higher animal product consumption with no seed oils. Personally, I’m amazed at how previously I would never attempt being outdoors without sunglasses and now sometimes I even forget to take them with me.
Final Note
In the age of fear mongering, Question Everything When It Comes to Your Health, do your research and use common sense with critical thinking. A headline is just that, meant to grab your attention, not to augment your health.
Here’s my short list of wins from smart minutes outdoors in the sun on a regular basis.
- More Energy
- Better Mood
- Enhanced Sleep
- Increased Focus & Clarity
- Let Go of Stuff Bothering Me
- Makes Me Feel Better About Everything!
“The sun is new each day.”
Heraclitus
