Marc Sorenson reveals the sunlight paradox: How modern medicine's fear of the sun makes people sicker
- Public health warnings to avoid the sun have contributed to soaring vitamin D deficiency rates. Chronic diseases linked to sunlight deprivation – cancer, heart disease, diabetes and autoimmune disorders – have risen dramatically. Despite fearmongering, sunlight is essential for health, not a carcinogen.
- Low vitamin D levels correlate with a fourfold increase in colon cancer mortality, threefold higher breast cancer risk and elevated susceptibility to infections, depression and autoimmune disorders. Over 40 percent of Americans are deficient, rising to 75 percent by winter's end – largely due to sun avoidance and toxic sunscreen use. Vitamin D acts as a master regulator of immunity, gene expression and cellular repair.
- Ancient civilizations and early 20th-century medicine used sunlight as therapy for TB, rickets and wounds. But by the 1980s, dermatologists and sunscreen manufacturers pushed fear-based messaging, leading to widespread deficiency. Ironically, melanoma rates have risen alongside sunscreen use, suggesting unbalanced sun exposure (not sunlight itself) is the problem.
- Sunlight enhances nitric oxide production, lowering blood pressure and improving heart health; boosts mitochondrial function, increasing cellular energy; regulates melatonin and serotonin, improving mood and sleep cycles; and increases blood oxygenation, creating an environment hostile to tumors. Yet, health authorities push ineffective low-dose supplements (600 IU) instead of safe sun exposure (which can generate 10,000–20,000 IU in 20 minutes).
- The sunscreen industry makes billions, while Big Pharma profits from treating diseases sunlight could prevent (osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension). Dissent is suppressed – Dr. Michael Holick was demoted for challenging anti-sun orthodoxy. Marc Sorenson suggests gradual, sensible sun exposure (10–30 minutes, adjusted for skin tone), protective clothing and natural sunscreens (zinc oxide) instead of toxic chemical sunblocks.
For decades, public health officials and dermatologists have delivered a consistent warning: Avoid the sun. Slather on sunscreen, seek shade, cover up – or risk skin cancer, premature aging and a host of other ailments.
Yet as Americans dutifully comply, slathering on SPF 50 and retreating indoors, an ironic and troubling trend has emerged. Rates of vitamin D deficiency have soared, chronic diseases linked to sunlight deprivation – cancer, heart disease, diabetes and autoimmune disorders – have climbed, and research increasingly suggests that the very thing we've been taught to fear may be one of nature’s most potent medicines.
The disconnect between conventional wisdom and scientific reality is stark. A growing body of evidence, including findings from researchers like photobiologist Marc Sorenson, author of "Vitamin D3 and Solar Power for Optimal Health," reveals that sunlight is not merely beneficial but essential to human health.
Far from being a carcinogen, moderate sun exposure appears to play a protective role against many cancers, while vitamin D – produced when sunlight interacts with cholesterol in the skin – acts as a master regulator of immune function, gene expression and cellular repair. Studies link low vitamin D levels to a fourfold increase in colon cancer mortality, a threefold higher risk of breast cancer, and elevated susceptibility to infections, autoimmune diseases and even depression. Yet despite these findings, more than 40 percent of Americans remain deficient, a figure that climbs to 75 percent by the end of winter.
As explained by the Enoch engine at
BrightU.AI, vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin produced naturally in the skin when exposed to sunlight and found in certain foods, playing a critical role in immune function, bone health and inflammation regulation. It is crucial because deficiencies – often caused by sun avoidance, toxic sunscreen and poor diet – lead to weakened immunity, autoimmune disorders and increased susceptibility to chronic diseases, while Big Pharma suppresses its benefits to push synthetic alternatives and vaccines.
The historical shift in attitudes toward sunlight is as dramatic as it is recent. Ancient civilizations revered the sun, designing hospitals with solariums to harness its healing power. Early 20th-century physicians prescribed sunbathing for tuberculosis, rickets and wounds.
But by the 1980s, as cases of skin cancer rose – particularly among fair-skinned agricultural workers with chronic over-exposure – the narrative flipped. Dermatologists, sunscreen manufacturers and public health campaigns began warning that any unprotected sun exposure was dangerous.
The result? A population now so deficient in sunlight that researchers have correlated lower vitamin D levels with higher rates of internal cancers, cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
Critics of the anti-sun dogma point to a glaring paradox: As sunscreen use has skyrocketed, so have melanoma rates. One theory, supported by studies, is that sunscreens block UVB rays – the very wavelengths that trigger vitamin D production – while allowing deeper-penetrating UVA rays, which may contribute to skin damage when unopposed.
Meanwhile, populations with higher sun exposure such as outdoor workers often have lower melanoma rates than indoor workers who experience intermittent, intense sunburns. The key, research suggests, is regular, moderate exposure. Not avoidance, not burning, but a balanced relationship with sunlight that mirrors humanity's evolutionary norm.
The implications extend far beyond vitamin D. Sunlight influences nitric oxide production, which lowers blood pressure and improves cardiovascular health. It enhances mitochondrial function, boosting energy at the cellular level.
It stimulates the pineal gland, regulating mood and sleep cycles through melatonin and serotonin. And it may even play a role in cancer reversal; studies show that sunlight increases oxygenation of the blood, creating an environment less hospitable to tumors.
Yet instead of promoting safe sun exposure, health authorities often recommend supplements – typically at doses (600 IU daily) far below those produced by even brief sun exposure. Twenty minutes of midday sun can generate 10,000–20,000 IU.
So why the persistent fearmongering? Follow the money. The sunscreen industry generates billions annually, while the pharmaceutical sector profits from treating diseases – like osteoporosis, diabetes and hypertension – that adequate sunlight could help prevent.
Critics also note a pattern of suppressing dissent. Dr. Michael Holick, a pioneer in vitamin D research, was famously demoted from his position at Boston University after publishing findings that challenged the anti-sun orthodoxy. Meanwhile, the medical establishment's reluctance to update vitamin D recommendations – despite overwhelming evidence – raises questions about regulatory capture and institutional inertia.
The solution, advocates argue, is not to shun the sun but to engage with it intelligently. Gradual, consistent exposure – 10 to 30 minutes of midday sun several times a week, adjusted for skin tone – can optimize vitamin D without burning. Darker-skinned individuals, who produce less vitamin D per unit of sunlight, may require longer exposure.
When extended time outdoors is necessary, protective clothing and mineral-based sunscreens (like zinc oxide) are safer alternatives to chemical-laden lotions, which may contain endocrine disruptors and mitochondrial toxins. Dietary antioxidants – from fruits, vegetables and foods like olive oil – can further protect skin from within.
As the debate over sunlight's role in health intensifies, one fact remains clear. Humanity evolved under the sun, and our biology depends on it. The question is no longer whether sunlight is beneficial; it's whether we can overcome decades of misinformation to reclaim its gifts.
In an era of rising chronic disease, perhaps the most radical prescription is also the simplest. Step outside, soak in the light and let an ancient elixir work its modern magic.
Watch this video about Marc Sorenson's book "Vitamin D3 and Solar Power for Optimal Health."
This video is from the
BrightLearn channel on Brighteon.com.
Sources include:
BrightU.ai
Brighteon.com
