Suntaning & exposure

"Sunlight can ...cure depression & increase intelligence" - Ray Peat “Light promotes glucose oxidation, and is known to activate the key respiratory enzyme. Winter sickness (including lethargy and weight gain), and night stress, have to be included within the idea of the "respiratory defect," shifting to the antirespiratory production of lactic acid, and damaging the mitochondria.” - Ray Peat

Benefits

• Improves oxygen use for energy, protects against free radicals from metabolism, stress, or radiation.
• Reduces depression, boosts immunity, stimulates metabolism (reducing food cravings), and may enhance intelligence.
• Lowers death rates (higher in winter/night) by suppressing stress hormones like melatonin, which is produced in darkness and linked to brain sluggishness, reduced fertility/immunity, and organ shrinkage.
• Offsets seasonal "light deficiency" causing winter illnesses.

Sun Exposure and Skin/Cancer Concerns

• Skin aging from sun is influenced by diet: PUFAs accelerate wrinkling; saturated fats (e.g., coconut oil) protect.
• Non-melanoma skin cancers are sun-related but harmless and localized; melanoma is more tied to estrogen/pollutants than sun.
• Avoid chemical sunscreens (e.g., PABA) as they can cause mutations; use reflective ones (zinc/titanium oxide) if needed.
• Antioxidants like vitamin E, aspirin, coconut oil, and carotene mitigate UV damage when ingested or applied.

Practical Advice

• Avoid overexposure to prevent immunosuppression.
• Reduce unsaturated fats; use coconut oil on skin/food for protection.
• In fall and winter, use very bright incandescent lights daily from sunset until bedtime.
• Expose as much skin as possible to the bright light; even a minute is better than nothing.
  • Thin, light-colored clothing transmits a considerable amount of light. Infrared bulbs, with clear glass, are especially beneficial. Special low temperature red lights are available.
• It is better to get your sunlight through windows, because it has less ultraviolet light than direct sunlight, plastic film containing copper can be used as well to avoid immunosupressant effects.
• Don’t use sun-blocking lotions, other than the simply reflective type (zinc oxide or titanium oxide).
• Decrease the use of unsaturated oils in the diet, and use coconut oil as food and also on the skin during exposure to direct sunlight.
• Vitamin E and aspirin reduce the harmful effects of sunburn, even when used after exposure to the sun, they can be applied topically to the burned skin.
  • Vitamin E often contains some soy oil, so I recommend small doses of about 100 mg. per day.