SUNLIGHT AND NUCLEUS OVERLOAD™ - CAN THE SUN GET YOU JACKED?
Over 90% of people don’t get enough sunlight. Yet, sunlight is responsible for optimal muscle growth, strength, bone density, fat loss, hormonal function, brain function, digestive function, and overall health. Those effects are mediated by the hormone Calcitriol (active form of Vitamin D), which we can only get optimal amounts of through sunlight.
When the sun’s UVB rays hit our skin, cholesterol (7-dehydrocholesterol to be exact) gets converted to pre-vitamin D3, and then vitamin D3, which eventually goes to our liver and gets converted to 25 OH D. This prohormone then travels to our kidney and gets converted to its active form, 1 25 OH D (Calcitriol). This powerful hormone then binds to the vitamin D receptor inside cells and initiates DNA transcription, leading to gene expression in addition to increasing calcium absorption in our gut. In short, without this powerful hormone, gene expression and protein synthesis declines, as well as bone density and our overall health.
As far as muscle mass goes, vitamin D’s countless effects include regulation of Myostatin, strength, Testosterone, fast twitch (type 2) fibers, Satellite cell activity (the goal of Nucleus Overload™), IGF-1 production, dopamine, insulin sensitivity, bone density, mTOR (protein synthesis), sleep, and more. An old study back in the 1930s even claims that UV light boosted men’s testosterone levels by over 100% when exposed to their chest, and by over 200% when exposed to their testes. We’ll obviously need more recent studies to confirm this, but this is not hard to believe given the high numbers of vitamin D receptors in the testes, where testosterone is produced. The effects of sunlight on bone density need no further mention, since it is already common knowledge that vitamin D deficiency leads to bone diseases in adults and rickets in children. In addition, vitamin D deficiency is also associated with various forms of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, inflammation, and a host of other illnesses. This is not surprising, since life has evolved for millions of years under the sun, the ultimate source of life. Yes, too much of it can be a bad thing (especially for very pale skin individuals), but the same applies to almost anything else, so moderation is key.
In order to reap the full benefits of Calcitriol, aim for blood levels in the 40-60 ng/mL range at the very least. The amount of daily vitamin D3 needed to reach those levels is about 5,000 IU. The best source is obviously sunlight, with 15 minutes of skin exposure yielding up to 10,000 to 20,000 IUs in pale skin individuals. Dark skin individuals will need 6 to 8 times more exposure to sunlight in order to get the same dose, since melanin (responsible for dark skin pigmentation) is a natural sunscreen, and shields black people from the harmful effects of sunlight. This is both a blessing and a curse, since in doing so, it also reduces the amount of vitamin D that darker skin can synthesize from the sun. This is one of the top reasons why black people (even in Africa) now have some of the lowest levels of serum vitamin D out of all groups. Due to air conditioners (keeping people indoors), long sleeve clothing, pants, and people spending less overall time outdoors, dark skin individuals are now getting much less exposure to sunlight compared to what our ancestors received. The proof, only those who work outside during most of the day and primitive tribes that still live in the wild have optimal levels of serum 25 OH D. If you are deficient, as most blacks are, your body will increase parathyroid hormone above the normal range in order to compensate, but this is obviously not optimal.
In conclusion, sunlight should theoretically enhance the effects of Nucleus Overload™, through its effects on Myostatin, testosterone, protein synthesis, IGF-1, hyperplasia, and satellite cell activation , especially for those who are deficient in serum 25 OH D levels. Sunlight is still the best source of this crucial hormone, since getting sufficient vitamin D from food is simply not practical (salmon has the highest concentration of vitamin D3, but depending on the quality, wild caught versus farm raised, you’ll need about 50 ounces of salmon just to get around 5,000 IUs of vitamin D3). COD liver oil does provide over 1000 IU per ounce, and some supplements provide up to 5000 to 10,000 IUs per pill, but the vitamin D3 we get from nutrition is not as bioavailable and stable as the one we synthesize from our skin, the way nature intended. There is also no risk of toxicity when synthesizing vitamin D3 from the sun, since there are mechanisms in place that automatically degrade it the moment it reaches excessive amounts, and this is unique only to natural synthesis from sunlight. If you have pale skin and are concerned about risks of skin cancer or accelerated aging, simply supplement with vitamin D3, or get your minimum effective dose by spending as little time as possible (less than 15-20 minutes) in the sun. Also, keep in mind that things that can interfere with optimal vitamin D levels include obesity (vitamin D is fat soluble, so too much fat leads to too much of it stuck in fat tissue), a low-fat diet (again, since it is fat soluble and needs to be ingested with a fat containing meal to be properly absorbed), old age (old people synthesize less vitamin D than young), living in suboptimal latitudes (UVB is most effective below the 37th parallels), magnesium deficiency (magnesium is needed to activate and transport vitamin D), and getting sunlight at the wrong time of day or season (UVBs are strongest around 10 am to 2 pm, and obviously more pronounced around summer time). Either way, consult with your doctor periodically to make sure that you’re in the healthy range for 25 OH D (above 40 ng/mL or 100 nmol/L).