Diabetes and sunlight. Is there a connection? By Marc Sorenson, EdD.
Diabetes associates with sunlight. Yet, please understand that lack of sunlight is not the primary cause of the disease. Nevertheless, sun exposure can act as an adjunct to the primary healing methods, which are nutritional changes and more exercise. My wife and I saw first hand, the efficacy of sunlight and good nutrition. During our 15 years at our former health institute, our clients lost more than 100 tons of fat. In addition, two-thirds of diabetic guests were free of all medication in less than two weeks. If clients stayed four weeks, there was about an 85% cure rate, and the remainder profoundly lowered medication. Sunny Southern Utah furnished the sunlight; we furnished the nutrition, exercise and expertise.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disorder of chronically high blood glucose and it leads to blindness. It also leads to nerve damage, heart disease, kidney disorders, neuropathy and other maladies. Furthermore, it is so deadly that some experts believe it will ultimately destroy our health care system. Due to a change to a high fat, junk-food diet, this destruction of health care presently exists in China. In addition, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2017. Thus, 83,564 death certificates listed diabetes as the cause of death. Furthermore, it is important to understand that death certificates underestimate the carnage effected by diabetes. Most noteworthy is that diabetes contributes to far more than 83,564 deaths. Therefore, when researchers listed diabetes as the underlying or contributing cause of death, the number of deaths skyrocketed to 270,702.
Two forms of the disease: Both associate with lack of sunlight.
Diabetes comes in two forms: (1) Type-one diabetes occurs due to autoimmune response, thus damaging the insulin-producing islet cells. This damage consequently reduces production of insulin, which is responsible for removing glucose from blood and storing it in tissue. Only about 5% of diabetics are type-one. (2) Type-two diabetes, in which there is sufficient insulin, yet blood glucose remains high due to insulin resistance. This discussion involves type-two.
Most noteworthy, as with heart disease, a paucity of sunlight is not the primary cause. Rather, deleterious nutrition habits are the main reasons. These habits are principally high meat consumption, sugar consumption, egg consumption, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, and too many fried foods. In the case of type-one diabetes, milk consumption is probably the most important nutritional factor. Yet, sunlight may act as a prophylactic against both types of the disease. Especially relevant is that diabetes probably does not kill someone directly. Rather, it is the diseases resulting from diabetes, which lead to death.
The influence of sunlight on this disease.
There are several studies showing a relationship between type-two and sun exposure. Hence, one paper showed that blood-sugar levels were lower during summer, indicative of a protective effect of summer sun. Another, a meta-analysis, produced moderate evidence that recreational sun exposure associates with a reduced risk of type-two . The study materialized because the researchers observed that higher vitamin D levels associated with lower diabetes risk. Yet, vitamin D supplementation did not associate with lower risk. They hypothesized sun exposure could have influences unrelated to vitamin D, and such seems to have been the case.
Perhaps the most important investigation showed that women who had “active sun exposure habits” had a 30% decrease in the risk of type-two diabetes. It seems like being a regular participant in sunny activities is a good idea, no? Therefore, enjoy regular, non-burning sun exposure, avoid junk foods and prevent or heal this disease.
For more information on sunlight and health, visit sunlightinstitute.org. In addition, read my book, Embrace the Sun.