Dear Reader,

You've probably thought of the Sun in terms of Vitamin D.

Perhaps in terms of Nitric Oxide and the cardiovascular benefits too.

And, you've almost certainly heard that it's dangerous and best avoided!

Right?

Not so fast!

Here's what Professor Richard Weller, a dermatologist and world-leading researcher, has to say about that:

"Such an anti-sun cult has taken over dermatology. I really feel sorry for my dermatology colleagues who are stuck in this monochrome Avoid-Sunlight-Take-Vitamin-D cult. Because you're a dermatologist it doesn't mean you have to be a bad doctor. But sadly, that seems to be the case for a lot of them."

He goes on to say that:

• Dermatology has just become an extension of the beauty industry.
• And, if we moved 10,000 white, middle-aged UK citizens to Cornwall and got them to spend more time in the sun, statistically for every extra death from melanoma, there would be 125 fewer deaths from all other causes (including some of the more vicious cancers).
• And that proteomic examination after UV exposure (i.e. which proteins are changed by UV) shows 3000 proteins are turned on, so the health benefits of sunlight are clearly far more complex than just sun = Vitamin D. But more on that in a second (Quick refresher: proteins are the boots-on-the-ground workers in the body's chain of command: epigenome -> DNA -> mRNA -> proteins -> chemical pathways that change how we feel and function).
• The biggest problem? Sunning yourself can't be sold! But sun protection cream and Vitamin D can....

What makes him say these heretical things?

The above points are just a fraction of the goodness in this interview 👇

Listen to it all on Spotify:

In Defense of Sunlight: Rowa... Oct 20 · Ricci Flow Nutrition Pod... 101:59   ​

Back to those 3000 proteins and the other effects of sunlight on our biology!

So far we've only identified a few.

One of the pathways we HAVE identified, however, is the POMC pathway. POMC (Pro-opiomelanocortin) is a peptide - in fact it could be called the Master Peptide or the Swiss Army knife of the body.

It's made of a long chain of amino acids (proteins) and, depending on how it's cleaved, sets off a cascade of different processes.

Non-exhaustive list of processes:

• Skin pigmentation:Turning on the cells that darken skin tone.
• Natural pain relief: Flooding the system with feel-good endorphins that dull physical pain.
• Stress management: Triggering the release of cortisol to help the body manage physical strain and inflammation.
• Appetite suppression: Signaling the brain to lower hunger and adjust how we burn energy

Starting to see the connection to weight loss?

But how is POMC cleaved?

Here's how:

• Different colours of light (UVB, UVA, blue, red, infrared) in various compositions
• Physical Exercise
• Emotions
• Temperature

And you've got POMC factories in tissues everywhere (non-exhaustive list):

• brain regions (like the hypothalamus)
• skin (like the leg, torso, arms, etc.)
• white blood cells (immune system)
• adrenal glands (stress management)
• heart and cardiovascular system
• sexual and reproductive organs
• gut and digestive regions
• spleen and pancreas
• muscle tissue

Let's put it all together now.

Drum roll....🥁

Actually, I've done it all for you! Download this document to see exactly how sunlight helps you lose weight:

​How the sun makes us leaner.pdf​

Inside, I've included a simple protocol you can start using today.

Plus, you'll learn about the dangerous "blue-light trap" we accidentally sit in all day long under modern indoor LED lights.

But hoid your horses Roderick - it's Autumn already.

Not enough UVB to make now to make Vitamin D in London, Berlin, Paris or Prague.

Correct!

But let's start again from the top: Vitamin D is likely just a tiny fraction of this epic story.

While there might not be enough UVB to trigger Vitamin D production, the autumn and winter sun still delivers plenty of UVA, infrared, and visible light frequencies, and even a little UVB around midday..

Plus, if your circadian rhythms are aligned, your body natively understands the season.

It's also worth noting that POMC is highly sensitive to temperature. The crisp autumn cold acts as its own unique biological trigger, shifting how these pathways manage your energy and metabolism.

Hope this helps! Would you let me know by answering this poll?

BTW, the short days and cold are why I've installed this bulb at my work station and use this panel every morning after waking up. It's the best alternative to sunlight available on the market. Check out the SolShine Photovites panel and Bio Bulb here (13000 lux, trace UVA, balanced full visible spectrum, near infrared beyond 1000 nm). Use code MMH10 for a 10% discount.

A good UK alternative is this panel from Block Blue Light. Their Bio Light bulbs are good, but don't contain the near infrared or trace UVA. A huge Black Friday sale is on right now! (and every order gets their amazing no-blue Christmas tree lights - available only 1x year).

A client inspired me to look more deeply into one specific diagnosable condition.

Around 7% of you have already been diagnosed with it.

And as many as 25% of you don't know about it yet.

It's a complex, multi-factorial health issue and I've been inspired by a client who lost 10% of his weight in 3 months (wink, wink), yet this issue still remains.

So I'm preparing a course on it

I thought just losing weight was the best cure.

It's for sure part of it, but my research led me down many rabbit holes and there's a whole lot more to the story!

I'll be sharing it with you soon, but for now - can you guess what it is?

Until then, take care,

Roderick

​​​

​MidlifeMetabolicHealth.com​ ​Robot clicks here​

​