Why Bryan Johnson is wrong about sunlight
Bryan Johnson thinks sunlight is aging you. “90% of visible skin aging is from the sun” is what he said as he was sitting at the Enhanced Games with an umbrella while the UV index was 2.
But science doesn’t actually back up his claim.
What science actually shows is that UV light in isolation can have negative effects. Collagen and elastin breakdown, DNA damage, wrinkles, etc.
But the problem is that:
UV light in isolation ≠ full spectrum sunlight.
Saying sunlight causes skin aging is like saying fruit is unhealthy because fructose in isolation has been shown to be problematic.
Yet this leap — from isolated UV light to full spectrum sunlight — has become one of the most accepted assumptions in modern health advice.
So let’s go over what the science actually says about sunlight and skin aging (and overall longevity/health).
SPOILER: staying inside all day is actually worse for you.
UV light in isolation ≠ full spectrum sunlight
There’s this common misconception that UV light in isolation is the same as getting full spectrum sunlight. People obviously get confused when dudes like Bryan go around saying that “90% of visible skin aging is from the sun”. It freaks you out.
But all the studies we actually have on skin aging are mostly done on UV light in isolation.
It makes good sense that UV light in isolation can cause damage. After all, it’s short wavelength, high energy light that has the power to modify DNA structures, create reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause the breakdown of collagen and elastic which cause wrinkles and that “photo aged” look.
But sunlight is so much more than UV. When you’re getting full spectrum sunlight you’re getting UV light, visible light like blue, green and red, along with infrared light.
We know that longer wavelengths of light have the exact opposite effects of short wavelength light. They heal the skin, promote collagen production, have antioxidant properties that decrease inflammation and oxidative stress caused by ROS, and much more.
Overall, really beneficial and once again this is backed up by science as we are continually getting more and more studies proving the effectiveness of red and infrared light in skin rejuvenation.
Bryan Johnson uses red light therapy himself. To bad he doesn’t understand that he can get free red light therapy from sunlight.
(read my other posts about sunlight for in depth benefits of red light, infrared light and more)
So when you’re outside in full spectrum sunlight, you are getting both ends of the spectrum. The balance. Nature’s perfect creation.
To say that sunlight is bad just because UV light in isolation is, is absolutely crazy.
Humans and all other animals on earth have evolved under the sun for as long as life has been around. Don’t you think we’ve evolved to benefit from it?
After all, it is the source of all life on earth.
Even UV light has profound benefits for your health and longevity:
Vitamin D production
Nitric oxide production (vasodilation, blood flow, endothelial health)
Mood benefits
And lots of downstream effects from these, like improved bone health and hormone health from vitamin D, improved heart health and cardiovascular function from nitric oxide, etc.
Why being inside is worse for your skin
We’ve all seen this picture. The truck driver who supposedly aged a lot more on one side of his face because of sunlight when driving.
But this isn’t what sunlight does. This is what sitting inside, behind a window, does.
When you’re sitting inside, whether its in your car, your house, or wherever, you’re not getting full spectrum sunlight. Most windows actually reflect longer wavelengths of light and only allow shorter wavelengths of light like UV, blue and green to pass through.
Once again, this leaves you deficient in the healing long wavelengths of light and overloads your system with damaging short wavelengths light. You don’t get the perfectly balanced light spectrum that is so beneficial for your skin.
You can see this clearly here. Left side of the picture is light measured in a car with the windows down. Natural, full spectrum sunlight. UV, visible light and tons of infrared. With the windows closed (right), the longer wavelengths drop off significantly and pretty much just the short wavelengths are left.
Note: UV is not really present on the right since the light was measured on the windscreen of the car, which is a different type of glass compared to the side and rear windows that block almost all UV light. On the side and rear windows more UV would pass through.
So in short, if you don’t want to end up like the truck driver then don’t sit inside. If you want healthy skin, spend more time outside.
When sunlight can be bad
However, sunlight can be problematic if you don’t know what you’re doing. Obviously getting a sunburn isn’t gonna be healthy. It’s a clear sign that you’ve gotten to much sun exposure and damaged your skin.
But despite what dermatologists and mainstream advice says, it is possible to build up a “solar callus” so you can spend more time outside without burning.
After all, we have a pigment in our skin called melanin which protects us from UV light. It absorbs UV light and neutralizes free radicals (like ROS).
This is why people who evolved around the equator have darker skin (more melanin) compared people who evolved at higher or lower latitudes with lower UV.
The darker your skin the more melanin you have and the more UV light you can tolerate. But it’s possible to build up your solar callus pretty easily.
I have a full post here on my blog going over the full protocol, but in short its about:
Spending time outside during the months leading up to peak UV (late winter/early spring)
Getting morning sunlight to prime your body for peak UV hours
Not wearing sunglasses (unless you need to aurafarm)
Lowering PUFA’s in your diet (seed oils, etc.) and prioritizing saturated fats
Gradually building up your UV exposure when tanning
Prioritizing whole foods, omega 3’s and antioxidant rich foods
Getting low solar angle sun (sunrise and sunset) for the higher red and infrared to blue and UV ratio (more healing)
Sunlight and longevity
I’m pretty sure we’ve all seen this meme. And when it comes to sunlight, it’s actually kinda true.
Multiple studies have shown that the more sun exposure you get the longer you live. However, Bryan likes to just throw these out the window because they’re only correlations, and as we all know, correlation ≠ causation.
(Bryan uses associative studies for other subjects tho)
Multiple studies like the one above exists, where it’s shown that people who get both more UV light and sunlight live longer.
Your life is just better when you get more sunlight. And honestly, so what if you age your skin a bit. What the fuck does it matter that you got “perfect” skin if all you’re doing is sitting inside or walking around with an umbrella all day.
I’d take the trade any day of the week to age my skin a little bit for the happiness you get from being outside. Playing outdoor sports, hiking, tanning, sitting in the sun playing cards with your friends, etc.
Retardmaxxing.
There are also many more benefits to sunlight beyond just Vitamin D like circadian rhythm and sleep, hormone regulation, vision health, mood and then all the benefits I talked about earlier with long wavelength light.
To Bryan’s credit he does seem to recommend that people get low UV sunlight for the circadian rhythm benefits, etc. but it’s kinda counterintuitive when you then see him rocking the umbrella in a UV 2.
Also, this umbrella is not just blocking UV light. It’s blocking everything including red and infrared which are so important for health.
The better strategy if you want to protect yourself from the sun
Let’s be honest. You look like a dork if you’re going to be walking around with an umbrella, no question about it.
You lose all aura.
Then you might say “just don’t care what other people think”, and partially you’re right but we can’t help it sometimes. We will always seek validation from “the tribe”, so why use an umbrella like this when you could just rock a hat or throw on a healthy sunscreen or even just stay in the shade.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to protect yourself from the sun if the UV is too high for you. We’ve all got different circumstances that may affect how much sun we can tolerate.
Even lions seek shade during peak UV hours most of the time.
For example, if you went on vacation to a much higher UV place than where you’re normally from. Obviously your body won’t have time to adapt that quickly so avoiding the highest UV hours or using a healthy sunscreen (mineral sunscreen) can help prevent sunburns and skin damage until your body catches up.
In the end its about the balance.
Don’t get too much sun. Don’t get too little sun. It’s pretty simple yet Bryan Johnson seems to be on the too little sun side, to the point where he would wear a damn umbrella in UV 2 just to avoid it.
It all comes back to the yin and yang bruh.
Now go get some sun.
Also, if you want to get one of the most potent antioxidants to help deal with the free radical damage from UV light (and just improve your overall skin health), then get the best oral + topical vitamin E here and save 15% with code “KASPER”.
Thanks for reading and godspeed
— Kasper Veritas