A man on the beach in the sun depicting the benefits of sunlight

20 Benefits of Sunlight: Revealing the SPF Deception

Everyone knows we should avoid the sun at all costs… right? And that you should lather yourself in sunscreen and use SPF creams on any exposed skin surface… I mean, duh!

Can you sense my sarcasm? If you’re wondering why I’m being sarcastic and that skin cancer from the sun is very real and we should do all we can to prevent it, let me explain.

I like to cast aside all we know about some things in life and ask basic questions about those things.

For example, when we think about the ideal diet for humans, we should ask ourselves, “What did our ancestors eat?” or “What would have been available to our hunter-gatherer forefathers?”

In the case of the sun, the questions are not too dissimilar: “Did our cave-dwelling ancestors have sunscreen?” or “Did they dodge the sun at all costs, including when hunting or getting water?”

The answer’s obvious when we think about it like this, right?

So, why is it that we’ve been led to believe the sun – this thing we’ve lived with for millennia – is so damn bad for us?

Have we been led astray and are there benefits of sunlight exposure that we can and should take advantage of?

Well, let’s take a little look…

TL;DR

  • Sunlight exposure offers numerous health benefits beyond vitamin D production, including improved mental health, better sleep, and a strengthened immune system.
  • The UVB-UVA balance is crucial: UVB rays produce vitamin D and offer protection, while UVA rays can be harmful. Midday sun exposure may be safer due to higher UVB levels.
  • Modern indoor lifestyles and excessive sunscreen use have led to widespread vitamin D deficiency, potentially contributing to various health issues including more severe COVID-19 outcomes.
  • A balanced approach to sun exposure is key: aim for regular, moderate exposure, gradually build up a tan, and reconsider the use of chemical sunscreens that block beneficial UVB rays.

The Ancestral Sun: How We’ve Strayed from Our Evolutionary Roots

For millions of years, our ancestors evolved under the intense equatorial sun, spending most of their days outdoors. This constant direct sunlight was a key factor in their health and survival.

In fact, our bodies have developed complex mechanisms to harness the sun’s energy and protect against its potential harm.

Our ancestors’ relationship with the sun is written in our very skin. Early humans in Africa developed dark skin as protection against intense equatorial UVB radiation, preventing the breakdown of folate, crucial for fetal development and fertility.

As humans migrated to higher latitudes with less intense sunlight, lighter skin became an evolutionary advantage, allowing for more efficient vitamin D production.

This adaptation happened remarkably quickly – in just 20,000 to 50,000 years.

The Modern Mismatch: Our Indoor Existence

Fast forward to today, and we find ourselves in a world drastically different from the one we evolved in.

Many of us spend up to 90% of our time indoors, shielded from the very thing our bodies were designed to thrive on – sunlight. And, when we do venture out, we’re advised to slap on sunscreen.

This radical shift has happened in just a few generations, too quickly for our biology to adapt leaving us lacking in the sun exposure our bodies need.

By reconnecting with the sun mindfully, we can tap into a powerful, free, and natural source of health and well-being that our ancestors relied on for millions of years.

20 Health Benefits Of Sunlight: Beyond Bone Health

As we’ll see in more detail below, UV light exposure doesn’t just produce vitamin D – vitamin D on its own doesn’t provide all the health benefits of sunlight – it triggers a whole load of beneficial processes in our bodies.

Here’s a comprehensive list of the health benefits associated with sensible sun exposure:

  1. Vitamin D Production: Supports healthy bones by aiding calcium absorption and reduces the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
  2. Immune System Regulation: Enhances innate and adaptive immune responses and may reduce the risk of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes.
  3. Cancer Prevention: Associated with reduced risk of several cancers, including colon, breast, and prostate cancer, and regulates cell growth and differentiation.
  4. Cardiovascular Health: Helps regulate blood pressure through nitric oxide production and is associated with reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.
  5. Mental Health: Boosts mood and alleviates symptoms of depression and seasonal affective disorder. And it helps regulate circadian rhythms, improving sleep quality.
  6. Metabolic Health: Influences insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism which reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
  7. Neurological Function: Supports brain health and cognitive function and reduces the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
  8. Skin Health: Moderate sun exposure improves certain skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema and triggers the production of beta-endorphins in the skin, promoting feelings of well-being.
  9. Weight Management: May help regulate appetite and metabolism and is associated with reduced risk of obesity.
  10. Respiratory Health: Associated with improved lung function and may reduce the risk and severity of respiratory infections
  11. Reproductive Health: Supports fertility in both men and women and may reduce the risk of pregnancy complications.
  12. Longevity: Studies have associated regular sun exposure with increased life expectancy.
  13. Eye Health: May reduce the risk of myopia (nearsightedness) in children and exposure to natural light is important for eye development.
  14. Melatonin Regulation: Sunlight exposure during the day helps regulate melatonin production at night, improving sleep. Read more about the sunlight and sleep quality relationship.
  15. Enhanced Physical Performance: Improves muscle strength and athletic performance
  16. Reduced Inflammation: Helps regulate inflammatory processes in the body
  17. Improved Wound Healing: Vitamin D plays a role in skin cell growth and repair
  18. Better Dental Health: Associated with reduced risk of dental caries and periodontal disease
  19. Enhanced Liver Function: Vitamin D plays a role in liver health and function.
  20. Improved Gut Health: May positively influence gut microbiome diversity.

Things like this strike me… all of these benefits of sunlight exposure make it sound miraculous, but in fact, it’s just the way things should be.

The problem is that due to our recent lack of sun exposure, as a species, we’re now struggling with all the ailments listed.

The Vitamin D Dilemma: Why Modern Humans Are Chronically Deficient

Vitamin D, often called the “sunshine vitamin,” is actually a secosteroid prehormone component – a crucial precursor to hormones that regulate numerous bodily functions.

Vitamin D is unique: our skin produces it when exposed to sunlight’s UVB rays, unlike other vitamins we must consume.

The statistics are shocking. As of the early 2000s, only about 20% of Americans had vitamin D levels above 30 ng/mL, which is still below the optimal range.

For Black Americans, the situation was even more dire, with only about 3-4% above this level. This is far from our ancestral norms, where levels typically ranged from 40-60 ng/mL.

Our modern lifestyle has created an evolutionary mismatch. We spend most of our time indoors, away from sunlight. When outside, we’re often fully clothed and wearing sunscreen, limiting skin exposure.

Sunscreen use, while protecting against sunburn, also blocks vitamin D production. Many people live far from the equator, where UVB rays are less intense.

The Wide-Ranging Impact of Vitamin D

Low vitamin D levels aren’t just about weak bones. This crucial compound plays a role in immune function, cancer prevention, cardiovascular health, mental health, and metabolic health.

Recent research has even highlighted its potential role in COVID-19 outcomes, with those having low levels facing significantly higher risks of severe disease – see below for more on this.

While vitamin D supplements can increase blood levels, they may not provide all the benefits of natural sun exposure.

The half-life of supplemental vitamin D is shorter than that produced by sun exposure, and supplements don’t provide the other benefits of sunlight, like nitric oxide production.

It seems there’s more going on than just an increase in vitamin D when we bask in the sun and supplementation is not a like-for-like alternative. It should only be used as a gauge for whether you’re getting enough sun exposure.

Addressing the Deficiency Epidemic

The current recommended levels of vitamin D may be too low. While many health organizations, such as the World Health Organization, consider levels above 20 ng/mL sufficient, research suggests that optimal levels are closer to 40-60 ng/mL.

Now, I’m all for trying to change the recommendation of the amount of sun exposure and vitamin D levels we should be striving to achieve but that large juggernaut that’s gonna take some time to turn around.

In the meantime though, armed with this knowledge, you can work on yourself and others around you to get your vitamin D levels up through healthy sun exposure.

Perhaps others will see the health benefits you get from this and start questioning things too.

Sunscreen Scandal: How Sun Protection May Be Harming Our Health

For decades, we’ve been told that sunscreen is essential for preventing skin cancer. This advice has led to a multi-billion dollar industry and a culture of sun fear.

But what if this well-intentioned recommendation is actually doing more harm than good?

To understand the sunscreen scandal, we need to understand the different types of UV radiation.

UVB rays are responsible for vitamin D production in our skin and cause sunburn. UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and are associated with skin aging and melanoma.

Clearly, burning is not good, but our skin changing color through healthy exposure, is actually protecting us against the harmful UVA rays. So, the UVB rays protect us against UVA.

The problem with many sunscreens, especially older formulations; they are effective at blocking UVB rays but less effective at blocking UVA.

This creates a dangerous scenario where people feel protected but are still receiving high doses of potentially harmful UVA radiation.

In fact, some studies have found an association between sunscreen use and increased melanoma risk.

This was shocking to me when I learned this.

Now when I see well-meaning parents plastering sunscreen on their kids, I cringe. They’re blocking out the helpful UVB rays and letting in the harmful UVAs penetrate their loved ones’ skin.

Chemical Concerns and Environmental Impact

Many common sunscreen ingredients are now under scrutiny. Oxybenzone has been found to have hormone-disrupting effects and may damage coral reefs.

Retinyl palmitate may increase skin damage when exposed to sunlight. Nanoparticles, while effective sun blockers, may penetrate the skin and cause cellular damage.

Beyond human health, sunscreens are also harming marine ecosystems. Chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate have been shown to contribute to coral bleaching, leading some locations to ban these ingredients.

So the very thing we think is protecting us, is actually harmful to us and the environment.

Rethinking Sun Protection

This doesn’t mean we should abandon all sun protection. Instead, we need a more nuanced approach.

We can seek shade and/or cover-up to limit UV exposure without chemicals.

Time your sun exposure – short periods of midday sun exposure may be beneficial and safer than longer periods in the morning or late afternoon.

Build up melanin naturally through gradual, controlled sun exposure.

When needed, opt for mineral-based sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

Did you know that your diet can affect your skin’s response to sun exposure? I always say “You give your body crap and it’ll give you crap back”.

If you eat a human-specific diet – one of no human-made processed foods, one that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate – your body will be well-equipped to properly process the sun’s rays.

When I sorted my diet out back in 2016, one of the things I noticed was that I didn’t burn as easily.

The sunscreen scandal highlights the need for a more balanced approach to sun exposure.

Long story short: get some sun but don’t burn.

The Melanoma Myth: Debunking the Skin Cancer Scare

For decades, we’ve been warned that sun exposure is the primary cause of skin cancer, particularly melanoma. However, emerging research paints a more complex picture.

While excessive sun exposure and sunburn can increase skin cancer risk, the relationship between sun exposure and melanoma is far more nuanced than we’ve been led to believe.

One of the most striking findings is the “outdoor worker paradox”: outdoor workers, despite higher cumulative sun exposure, have lower rates of melanoma than indoor workers.

This suggests that regular, moderate sun exposure may be protective against melanoma.

Understanding the different types of UV radiation as previously explained above will help explain this…

We know that UVB rays that tan and protect us from UVA are strongest at midday, while UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and are associated with melanoma are more constant throughout the day.

So, it makes sense that midday sun exposure, contrary to popular belief, might be safer than morning or late afternoon sun as it’s when the protective UVB is at its strongest.

But again, it’s the protective UVB that burns us if overexposed, so I’m not suggesting you sunbathe for 2 hours in the middle of the day without building up your tan first.

The Pattern of Exposure Matters

Research indicates that it’s not just the amount of sun exposure, but the pattern that’s important.

Intermittent, intense exposure (like sunbathing on vacation) is associated with increased melanoma risk, while regular, moderate exposure is associated with decreased risk.

The sunscreen conundrum adds another layer of complexity. While sunscreens block UVB effectively, many are less effective against UVA. This may lead to extended UVA exposure without the protective tanning response triggered by UVB.

So we sit indoors all day every day and then hit the beach for 2 weeks blasting our skin with constant sun and to top it off we cover ourselves in cream that blocks only UVB light.

This whole process is completely off from what our skin expects… no wonder it winds up struggling and we humans have the skin problems we do today.

Balancing Risks and Benefits

It’s important to distinguish between melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.

Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are more directly linked to cumulative sun exposure but have meager mortality rates and are often considered “cosmetic” cancers by experts.

When considering skin cancer risk, we must balance it against the many health benefits of sun exposure, including reduced risk of internal cancers, improved cardiovascular health, better mental health, a healthy immune system, and stronger bones.

Rather than avoiding the sun altogether, a balanced approach is needed.

Build up sun exposure gradually, aim for regular, moderate exposure, and consider midday sun exposure for shorter periods to maximize vitamin D production while minimizing UVA exposure.

COVID Connection: The Untold Story of Vitamin D and Pandemic Outcomes

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, a pattern emerged: individuals with higher vitamin D levels seemed to fare significantly better against the virus.

Despite its potential to save lives, this connection received surprisingly little attention.

A large-scale Israeli study found that people with vitamin D levels above 40 ng/mL had dramatically lower rates of severe COVID-19, while those below 20 ng/mL had up to 14 times higher risk.

This relationship held true regardless of age, gender, or pre-existing conditions. Similar patterns were observed worldwide.

Vitamin D actively helps fight the virus by modulating the immune system, regulating the ACE2 receptor, stimulating antimicrobial peptides, and maintaining lung epithelial barrier integrity.

The disproportionate impact on minority groups might be partly explained by vitamin D status, as darker skin produces less vitamin D from sunlight.

Seasonal patterns of COVID-19 waves might also be related to fluctuating vitamin D levels or more accurately, sun exposure.

The UVB-UVA Balance: Understanding the Sunlight Spectrum

Understanding the different types of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight is crucial for optimizing the benefits while minimizing risks. The UV spectrum that reaches Earth’s surface is divided into UVB and UVA rays.

UVB rays (280-315 nm) are responsible for vitamin D production and can cause both tanning and sunburn.

They’re more intense at midday and during summer months but are not strong enough to penetrate most things and are even largely blocked by glass.

UVA rays (315-400 nm) penetrate deeper into the skin, are associated with aging and DNA damage, remain more constant throughout the day and year, and can penetrate glass.

UVB rays are the body’s primary source of vitamin D, converting 7-dehydrocholesterol into vitamin D3. And, when the UVB tans the skin, it protects it against the harmful UVA rays.

Contrary to popular belief, midday sun exposure may be safer and more beneficial due to the higher UVB to UVA ratio.

The UVB-UVA balance varies with season and latitude, affecting vitamin D production. Many sunscreens disrupt this balance by blocking UVB while allowing more UVA through.

Modern indoor lifestyles expose us to UVA without beneficial UVB, potentially contributing to higher melanoma rates in indoor workers.

Just understanding this is huge… knowledge is power! When you’re slapping on the sunscreen you’re blocking the good rays and letting the bad ones right in.

To Supplement, Or Not To Supplement?

Studies have now shown that vitamin D supplementation on its own is not as effective as sun exposure. It seems there’s more going on when the rays hit our skin than just raising the vitamin D levels.

This is an example of humans trying to hack nature and not quite getting it right.

That said, I think supplementation is better than nothing at all. If like me you live somewhere that gets little decent sun during the day at certain times of the year, at least taking a supplement may help get you through until the sunshine returns.

I’d opt for a high-quality D3 supplement with at least 1000 IU per day and being fat-soluble take it with a little fat such as butter for optimal absorption. Taking it with vitamin K2 will help as vitamin D helps to absorb calcium while K2 helps direct that calcium to bones and teeth and not to arteries.

A great supplement that covers these bases and more is Suppgrade Labs DAKE providing a potent hit of all the fat-soluble vitamins.

Supplementation doesn’t have to be taking a pill; it can also be light. The Sperti Vitamin D lamp is clinically proven and would be my first choice in getting my vitamin D levels up in the winter months.

Conclusion

Ok, so it’s clear we shouldn’t be roasting ourselves – there is such a thing as too much sun. And especially if you’re cooped up inside most of the time – in which case, please be careful.

Our ancestors would’ve lived in the sun every day so their resistance to it was higher. You’ll understand this if you go on holiday – at the start, you burn quickly but by the end, you can be in the sun all day – no problem.

However, it’s clear that sunlight triggers many health benefits. Let me come back to some logic here… if a plant was deprived of sun, it would die – because it’s a living thing.

And we humans are not much different, we need sunlight. If we don’t get it, we get ill -simple as that.

So, if you want to be healthy and well… get some sun in your life – just make sure you don’t burn.

Sure, it can be a challenge if you live somewhere that doesn’t have decent sun all your round – like me living in England. So there are options such as a Sperti light or other forms of light therapy.

I’ve used sunbeds before but I’m nervous about the risks of these so do your homework.

Failing that, oral supplements are a final option to tie you over until you can get some sunshine back in your life.

Now, I want to make it clear that I’m not a doctor, scientist, or any other type of clever person so what you do with this information is your doing – you are in charge of you.

And that’s it… have a healthy day!

FAQs

What are the 5 benefits of the sun?

The sun offers numerous health benefits, including vitamin D production, improved mental health, better sleep through circadian rhythm regulation, strengthened immune system, and potential reduction in cardiovascular disease risk through blood pressure regulation.

Is sunlight good for the body?

Yes, moderate sun exposure is beneficial for the body. It stimulates vitamin D production, enhances mood, regulates sleep patterns, strengthens bones, and may help prevent certain cancers and autoimmune diseases. However, it’s important to avoid overexposure and sunburn.

How much sunlight should you get a day?

The ideal amount of sunlight varies based on skin tone, latitude, and season. Generally, 10-30 minutes of midday sun exposure several times a week can help maintain adequate vitamin D levels. People with darker skin may need more time.

Why is sunlight good for the brain?

Sunlight exposure boosts serotonin production, improving mood and potentially alleviating symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. It also regulates the body’s internal clock, enhancing sleep quality and overall mental health. Vitamin D from sunlight may support cognitive function.

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