Light as a Nutrient: Sunlight, Circadian Rhythm & Metabolic Health | Dr. Max Gulhane

Dr. Max Gulhane (MD) is a practising family medicine physician and health-optimising physician with a passion for root-cause analysis of human chronic disease and longevity. We discuss the full solar spectrum and how ultraviolet, visible, blue, red and near-infrared light each affect human physiology, including the POMC pathway, nitric oxide and blood pressure, and the evidence on sunlight, skin cancer and the vitamin D paradox. We discuss how artificial light at night suppresses melatonin and disrupts the circadian control of DNA repair, cardiovascular health, and metabolism. For those interested in light and circadian health, Dr. Gulhane offers a grounded, mechanism-focused framework for aligning daily light exposure with human biology.

Full Show Notes here.

Thank you to our sponsor
Daylight Computer: daylightcomputer.com (code JONATHANJ for $25 off)

Dr. Max Gulhane
Website: https://www.drmaxgulhane.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxgulhanemd/
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@maxgulhanemd/

Recommended lectures:
Sunlight & Cancer: Beyond Skin Deep — https://youtu.be/SJGvr6dGOgQ
Artificial Light & Diabetes: No Food Required — https://youtu.be/vgrFpPusSKU
What Your Cardiologist Doesn't Know About Sunlight & Heart Health — https://youtu.be/NaeqPHEM-d0

Jonathan Jarecki
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanjarecki/
X: https://x.com/jonathanjarecki
Newsletter: https://jonathanjarecki.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

00:00 Intro
03:25 Dr. Max Gulhane
04:02 Dr. Gulhane's Love for Science and Medicine
09:01 What is Light?
12:52 Sunlight Broken Down as a Nutrient
14:02 Ultraviolet Light: Sunlight Is More Than Vitamin D
15:56 POMC
21:38 UVA/UVB on Cardiometabolic Health
24:40 Big Picture of UV Light
28:41 Sunlight, Skin Cancer, Dermatology Messaging, The Vitamin D Paradox
35:10 Blue Light, Artificial Light at Night (ALAN), Mechanisms
38:50 Sponsor: Daylight Computer
40:34 ALAN, Epidemiology, Cancer, Heart Disease
45:04 DNA Repair Mechanisms, Circadian Control
47:27 Melanopsin (OPN4), Blue Light, UV Susceptibility
53:25 Red, Infrared, Photobiomodulation, Metabolism
01:00:08 Blue Light, Metabolism, and the Built Environment
01:05:19 Photobiology of Atherosclerosis
01:10:11 Blue Light on Cardiovascular Function
01:12:25 Three M's of Circadian Health
01:18:43 Sunlight, Testosterone, and Reproductive Behavior
01:24:14 Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Social Media, Substack Newsletter

#science #sunlight #circadianrhythm