Sunlight Is Not the Enemy: Reframing Sun Exposure Through a Whole Health Lens

Jory Basso • May 17, 2026

Stop Hating on the Sun. It's health benefits are far more than just Vitamin D.


For decades, public health messaging around sunlight has been dominated by one primary theme: avoidance. Wear sunscreen. Stay indoors during peak hours. Limit exposure. Fear ultraviolet radiation.

These recommendations were developed with an important goal in mind—reducing skin cancer risk. But over time, the conversation surrounding sunlight became increasingly reductionist, focusing almost exclusively on a single disease outcome while overlooking the broader systemic role sunlight plays in human health.

Emerging research now suggests that insufficient sunlight exposure may contribute to a wide range of chronic health issues, including circadian disruption, metabolic disease, depression, immune dysfunction, poor sleep, cardiovascular disease, and even increased all-cause mortality.

It may be time to rethink our relationship with sunlight.


A Whole Health Perspective on Sunlight

Within a Whole Health framework, health is not merely the absence of disease. It is the dynamic integration of physical, mental, emotional, environmental, and social wellbeing.

Sunlight aligns remarkably well with this model.

It is:

  • Free
  • Widely accessible
  • Evolutionarily consistent with human biology
  • Systemically active across multiple physiological pathways

Rather than viewing sunlight solely as a carcinogenic threat, a Whole Health perspective recognizes sunlight as a foundational environmental input that helps regulate human physiology.

The question should not simply be: “How do we avoid sunlight?”

But rather: “How do we optimize our relationship with sunlight safely and intelligently?”


Sunlight Does Far More Than Produce Vitamin D

Most people associate sunlight primarily with vitamin D synthesis. While vitamin D is important, this represents only a fraction of sunlight’s biological effects.

Modern photobiology demonstrates that sunlight interacts with the body through multiple wavelengths and signaling pathways that influence mitochondrial function, hormone regulation, immune activity, vascular health, and neurological function.


Mitochondrial Health and Cellular Energy

Near-infrared (NIR) and red wavelengths penetrate deeply into biological tissues and appear to influence mitochondrial respiration, oxidative stress signaling, and cellular adaptation.

Research suggests these wavelengths may:

  • Improve mitochondrial efficiency
  • Support ATP production
  • Reduce oxidative stress
  • Enhance cellular resilience
  • Stimulate adaptive hormetic responses

Emerging evidence also indicates that NIR exposure may stimulate intracellular melatonin production within mitochondria themselves—not just pineal melatonin produced at night.

This is important because mitochondrial melatonin functions as a powerful intracellular antioxidant that may help protect cells from free radical damage and inflammation.

In other words, sunlight may help the body build resilience at the cellular level.


Sunlight and Circadian Biology

Human physiology evolved under predictable light-dark cycles.

Morning sunlight exposure helps regulate:

  • Cortisol timing
  • Melatonin rhythms
  • Sleep architecture
  • Body temperature regulation
  • Hormonal synchronization
  • Alertness and mood

Artificial indoor lifestyles disrupt these signals.

Modern humans now spend the majority of their time indoors under artificial lighting environments that differ dramatically from natural solar exposure in intensity, wavelength composition, and timing.

This mismatch may contribute to:

  • Poor sleep
  • Fatigue
  • Mood disorders
  • Metabolic dysfunction
  • Cognitive impairment
  • Circadian dysregulation

Morning sunlight exposure—particularly within the first hour after waking—appears to be one of the most powerful circadian anchors available.


Mental Health Benefits of Sunlight

The relationship between sunlight and mental health is robust and increasingly well-supported.

Reduced sunlight exposure has been associated with:

  • Depression
  • Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
  • Anxiety
  • Impaired emotional regulation
  • Sleep disturbances

Mechanistically, sunlight influences:

  • Serotonin production
  • Dopaminergic signaling
  • Circadian rhythm alignment
  • Melatonin regulation
  • Endorphin release

Many individuals intuitively experience this connection. Time outdoors often produces a noticeable improvement in mood, energy, calmness, and psychological wellbeing.

This effect is not imaginary—it is biological.


Sunlight, Cardiovascular Health, and Nitric Oxide

One of the most fascinating areas of recent sunlight research involves nitric oxide (NO).

Ultraviolet exposure appears capable of releasing nitric oxide stores from the skin into circulation, producing:

  • Vasodilation
  • Blood pressure reduction
  • Improved endothelial function
  • Enhanced circulation

Some researchers now propose that cardiovascular benefits from sunlight may partially explain epidemiological findings linking low sunlight exposure to increased mortality risk.

This challenges the simplistic narrative that sunlight is inherently harmful.

Like many biological inputs, dose and context matter.


Immune Modulation and Autoimmune Disease

Sunlight also appears to influence immune regulation in ways that extend beyond vitamin D.

Emerging evidence suggests sunlight exposure may:

  • Modulate inflammatory pathways
  • Influence innate immune signaling
  • Alter cytokine activity
  • Support immune tolerance

Researchers are increasingly exploring potential connections between insufficient sunlight exposure and autoimmune disease prevalence.

While this field is still evolving, it raises important questions:

  • Have modern indoor lifestyles unintentionally altered immune regulation?
  • Could sunlight deprivation represent an underrecognized environmental mismatch?
  • Are we underestimating the systemic consequences of chronic light deficiency?

These are no longer fringe questions. They are becoming legitimate areas of scientific inquiry.


Sunlight, Nature, and Human Connection

Sunlight exposure rarely occurs in isolation.

It often accompanies:

  • Outdoor movement
  • Nature exposure
  • Physical activity
  • Social connection
  • Grounding behaviors
  • Reduced screen time

This matters because health is interconnected.

Research consistently demonstrates that greenspace exposure is associated with improved physical and psychological health outcomes.

Sometimes the health benefits of sunlight are not solely about photons—but about restoring our relationship with the natural environment humans evolved within.

The Problem With One-Size-Fits-All Recommendations

Not everyone responds to sunlight the same way.

Factors that influence optimal exposure include:

  • Skin pigmentation
  • Geographic latitude
  • Season
  • Time of day
  • Age
  • Metabolic health
  • Baseline sun exposure
  • Environmental conditions

A fair-skinned individual living in Arizona requires different guidance than a dark-skinned individual living in Northern Europe.

This is why personalized sunlight guidance is essential.

Public health messaging should move beyond simplistic “avoid the sun” recommendations and toward nuanced, individualized strategies that balance:

  • Benefits
  • Risks
  • Skin type
  • Environment
  • Lifestyle
  • Circadian timing

Whole Health requires personalization.

A Balanced Perspective on Risk

None of this means excessive sun exposure is harmless.

Sunburns, chronic overexposure, and irresponsible UV exposure carry legitimate risks.

But there is a major difference between:

  • Moderate, intentional sunlight exposure
    and
  • Repetitive burning and chronic overexposure

The goal is not reckless sun behavior.

The goal is intelligent sunlight stewardship.

Health often exists within biological balance—not extremes.

Practical Whole Health Sunlight Strategies

While sunlight needs vary between individuals, several evidence-informed principles emerge consistently from the literature:

1. Prioritize Morning Sunlight

Morning outdoor light exposure helps anchor circadian rhythms and improve sleep quality.

2. Avoid Burning

Acute sunburns are clearly harmful and should be avoided.

3. Build Gradual Exposure

Progressive adaptation appears more physiologically appropriate than sudden intense exposure.

4. Spend More Time Outdoors

Even independent of direct UV exposure, outdoor environments provide significant health benefits.

5. Respect Individual Variability

Skin type, geography, season, and health status all matter.

6. Reduce Artificial Light Disruption at Night

Circadian health depends on both adequate daytime light exposure and reduced nighttime artificial light exposure.


Rethinking Public Health Messaging

The conversation around sunlight is beginning to evolve.

A growing number of researchers now argue that public health guidance should better balance:

  • Skin cancer prevention
    with
  • The systemic benefits of appropriate sunlight exposure

This shift reflects a broader transition in medicine:
from reductionism toward systems thinking.

Sunlight is not merely an isolated environmental risk factor.

It is a biologically meaningful signal that interacts with nearly every major physiological system in the body.

The future of public health may depend less on avoidance—and more on restoring appropriate relationships with the natural inputs humans evolved alongside.


Final Thoughts

Modern society has created an unprecedented disconnect between humans and natural light exposure.

We spend most of our lives:

  • Indoors
  • Under artificial lighting
  • Disconnected from circadian rhythms
  • Detached from natural environments

At the same time, rates of chronic disease, metabolic dysfunction, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, and autoimmune conditions continue to rise.

Sunlight is not a cure-all.

But the emerging evidence strongly suggests it is far more important than conventional public health messaging has acknowledged.

Perhaps the goal should not be fearing the sun.

Perhaps the goal should be learning how to live in healthy relationship with it again.


References

  • Aguida B, et al. Communicative & Integrative Biology. 2021.
  • Asyary A, Veruswati M. Science of the Total Environment. 2020.
  • Jeffery G, et al. Scientific Reports. 2025.
  • Lu Y, et al. BMC Medicine. 2023.
  • Neto RPM, et al. Journal of Biophotonics. 2024.
  • Twohig-Bennett C, Jones A. Environmental Research. 2018.
  • Walters G, et al. Physiology & Behavior. 2025.
  • Weller RB. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2024.
  • Weller RB. British Journal of Dermatology. 2025.
  • Zimmerman S, Reiter R. Melatonin Research. 2019.

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This Grass Fed Beef Bone Broth will Blow Your Brain!

By Jory Basso • July 10, 2023
Read on and learn how to make a delicious beef bone broth. In western society it seems we've lost the art of making a good homemade broth. It is a quite common practice in many other parts of the world including Europe, Asia, India, Africa, the Middle East, and South America. Californians and other North Americans, generally speaking, have a disconnect between the origin of our food and how it gets to our plate. Tell me – unless you grew up on a farm – have you ever seen an animal slaughtered? I know I haven’t. Yet I’ve been eating meat for about 35 years. This got me thinking about certain parts of the animal we throw away such as bones that were traditionally utilized. I always thought that if I was a hunter I would want to use every part of the animal to respect the gift that nature has provided including the organs, hide, bones, ligaments, and cartilage. If you look at the typical North American diet it is commonly deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. The great thing about bone broth is the minerals that are traditionally locked up in the bone are liberated during the slow cooking process. Homemade bone broth is rich with easily absorbable minerals such as: • magnesium • phosphorus • sulfur • trace minerals In addition if you choose bones with cartilage, ligaments and tendon still attached (as pictured below) you will be getting glycosaminoglycans such as glucosamine sulfate which is needed for cartilage, and collagen construction. Collagen is the number one protein in the human body by dry weight. Therefore bone broth should help skin, digestion, bones/joints including those with arthritis. I have an interest in this because my knee has major cartilage damage and I’ve already had four knee surgeries including a cartilage transplant. This will be a fantastic pre/post surgery/rehab food. California Grass Fed Beef Bone Broth Recipe. You will need a large slow cooker. • 2 Leeks • 2 Carrots • 1/2 Bunch of Garlic • 2 Celery Stalks • 1 Onion • Rosemary or Parsley (optional) • 6 Grass Fed (pastured) Beef Bones (preferably knuckles with marrow, and connective tissue) • Spring or Filtered Water (quantity depends on size of slow cooker) • 3-5 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar 1. Put the bones on an oven pan and roast at 350C for 30-45mins 2. While the bones are roasting chop up all your washed veggies into chunks 3. Remove the covering of the garlic cloves and give them a whack with the side of the blade 4. Put the veggies in your slow cooker (but not the rosemary or parsley) 5. Once the bones are done put them in the slow cooker on top of the veggies 6. Pour spring water into the crockpot until almost full 7. Cover and turn on high heat to bring to a boil (takes an hour or so) 8. Turn crockpot down to low 9. Simmer covered for 24-48 hours placing the rosemary in with 2 hours left or parsley with 30 mins left 10. Turn off and let sit for a 1/2 hour uncovered 11. Once it has cooled slightly use tongs to pick up the bones making sure the marrow is in the broth. If not – hit the bone gently to release the marrow 12. Put a large pot beside the slow cooker with a strainer on top. 13. Use the tongs to remove pieces of vegetables and mash them against the strainer to extract the remaining fluid 14. Discard the vegetable mash 15. Strain the remainder of the broth so you are left with only liquid in the second pot Now you can pour your broth into mason jars. As it cools you will see a white layer on top forming. Spoon this layer out and keep it in a separate container. This is beef tallow. You could discard it, use it for cooking (like fried potatoes), or try and make soap or candles out of it. If you want to freeze some broth only fill the mason jar 1/3 or 1/2 because it will expand. To utilize the benefits of your hard work – heat it up like a beverage and drink it (just tell your brain you are having soup :-). I have been drinking a cup for breakfast and it is very satiating. I had 2 eggs and a cup of bone broth at 8am and didn’t even feel hungry until 3pm. If you aren’t brave enough to drink it straight up you can also use it as a base for soup, stew, or many other savory dishes. More info and recipes for fish, beef or chicken bone broth. This post was also featured on The GoodLife Fitness Blog.