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 sponsorDaylight Computer: daylightcomputer.com (code JONATHANJ for $25 off)Dr. Max GulhaneWebsite: https://www.drmaxgulhane.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxgulhanemd/X: https://x.com/MaxGulhaneMDYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@maxgulhanemd/Recommended lectures:Sunlight & Cancer: Beyond Skin Deep — https://youtu.be/SJGvr6dGOgQArtificial Light & Diabetes: No Food Required — https://youtu.be/vgrFpPusSKUWhat Your Cardiologist Doesn't Know About Sunlight & Heart Health — https://youtu.be/NaeqPHEM-d0Jonathan JareckiInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanjarecki/X: https://x.com/jonathanjareckiNewsletter: https://jonathanjarecki.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips00:00 Intro03:25 Dr. Max Gulhane04:02 Dr. Gulhane's Love for Science and Medicine09:01 What is Light?12:52 Sunlight Broken Down as a Nutrient14:02 Ultraviolet Light: Sunlight Is More Than Vitamin D15:56 POMC21:38 UVA/UVB on Cardiometabolic Health24:40 Big Picture of UV Light28:41 Sunlight, Skin Cancer, Dermatology Messaging, The Vitamin D Paradox35:10 Blue Light, Artificial Light at Night (ALAN), Mechanisms38:50 Sponsor: Daylight Computer40:34 ALAN, Epidemiology, Cancer, Heart Disease45:04 DNA Repair Mechanisms, Circadian Control47:27 Melanopsin (OPN4), Blue Light, UV Susceptibility53:25 Red, Infrared, Photobiomodulation, Metabolism01:00:08 Blue Light, Metabolism, and the Built Environment01:05:19 Photobiology of Atherosclerosis01:10:11 Blue Light on Cardiovascular Function01:12:25 Three M's of Circadian Health01:18:43 Sunlight, Testosterone, and Reproductive Behavior01:24:14 Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Social Media, Substack Newsletter#science #sunlight #circadianrhythm