They told you sunlight was dangerous. That you needed to avoid it. That it would give you cancer and prematurely age your skin.
But let’s take a step back. For thousands of years, humans worshiped the sun. Ancient cultures understood what modern science is only now catching up to: sunlight is not the enemy. It is essential. It is medicine. And despite what every sunscreen commercial has told you since birth, the truth is this:
Sunlight protects you from disease.
Not just a little—profoundly.
Studies now confirm that optimal vitamin D levels—between 50 and 80 ng/mL—can help prevent cancer, autoimmunity, cardiovascular disease, and more. You cannot realistically achieve these levels from food or supplements alone. You need direct sun exposure.
So why the sudden fear campaign? Why have we been told to hide from the very thing that gives life to this planet?
Follow the money. Because if people stop fearing the sun, sunscreen sales tank—and the pharmaceutical industry loses a powerful customer base built on chronic, avoidable illness.
Let’s walk through the truth, one meme at a time.
1. Almost Impossible to Develop Autoimmunity with High Vitamin D
Autoimmune diseases are exploding—and so is vitamin D deficiency. Coincidence? Not likely. Research shows that maintaining vitamin D levels above 50 ng/mL dramatically reduces the risk of developing autoimmune conditions. Why? Because vitamin D modulates immune function, reduces inflammation, and promotes immune tolerance. In people with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and Crohn’s disease, low vitamin D is almost always a common thread. Want to protect your immune system? Get in the sun.
2. High Vitamin D Levels Protect from Cancer
Vitamin D doesn’t just support immunity—it’s one of the most powerful anti-cancer compounds in nature. Studies link higher vitamin D levels with lower risks of breast, colon, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. Vitamin D influences cell proliferation, apoptosis (programmed cell death), and DNA repair. Low D levels = higher mutation risk. The sun is not the threat—it’s the defense.
3. The Graphs Don’t Lie: Low D = More Disease and More Cancer
We’ve all seen the data. One graph shows it clear as day: as vitamin D levels drop, chronic disease rates skyrocket. The other? Cancer risk climbs in lockstep with deficiency. These aren't fringe numbers. They come from large population studies and meta-analyses. The darker the skin, the farther you live from the equator, the more time you spend indoors—the more deficient you likely are. And deficiency means vulnerability.
4. Imagine If There Was Something That Could…
Lower your risk of heart disease.
Protect your brain from depression.
Balance your hormones.
Strengthen your bones.
Reduce inflammation.
Boost your immune system.
Fight off cancer cells.
Now imagine that it was free, already available, and as ancient as time. That’s sunlight. It does all of this—and yet you’ve been told it’s dangerous. The real danger? Living in fear of the thing your body was designed to need.
5. Big Pharma and Big Sunscreen After Their Cut
Let’s connect the dots. The sunscreen market is worth over $10 billion globally. Pharmaceutical companies rake in hundreds of billions annually treating chronic diseases that sunlight could help prevent. If people suddenly stopped fearing the sun and normalized healthy exposure, entire industries would take a hit. This fear narrative is not a public health service—it’s a business model.
6. Sunscreen Promotes Cancer in Two Ways
First, many commercial sunscreens contain toxic ingredients—like oxybenzone and octinoxate—that are absorbed through the skin and disrupt hormones. Some of these compounds become more dangerous when exposed to sunlight, creating free radicals that damage skin cells.
Second, by blocking UVB rays, sunscreen prevents your body from making vitamin D. No UVB, no D production. Chronic sunscreen use = chronic vitamin D deficiency = higher risk of cancer. Wrap your head around that.
7. I Trust Something as Natural as the Sun More Than...
…a lab-made cream, a prescription drug, or a chemical filter engineered to block the very rays your mitochondria thrive on. Humans evolved outdoors, under open skies. For millennia, we lived by the rhythms of the sun. It’s only in the past hundred years that we’ve been told to fear it. I trust something as natural, ancient, and powerful as the sun more than any billion-dollar industry with a marketing team.
8. Your Best Defense Against the Sun Is Your Diet and Lifestyle
Here’s the kicker: sunburn isn’t inevitable. The real risk comes when you eat seed oils, live in fluorescent light, avoid movement, and then suddenly roast yourself at the beach. A nutrient-rich, animal-based diet—rich in saturated fats, collagen, and antioxidants from organ meats and seasonal berries—makes your skin more resilient. Gradual sun exposure, built up over time, allows your skin to adapt. Your lifestyle is your sunscreen. Real food is your SPF.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Fear the Light
They made you afraid of the very thing that gives life. The sun powers your hormones, your immunity, your mental health, and your mitochondrial function. And yet, most people now live their lives in artificial light, slathered in synthetic creams, and riddled with the very diseases that sunlight was designed to protect against.
At Carnivore Bar, we believe in nature’s wisdom. Real food, real light, real health. Take your shirt off. Get outside. And let the sun do what it’s always done—heal.
References
- Munger, Kassandra L., et al. “Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Risk of Multiple Sclerosis.” JAMA, vol. 296, no. 23, 2006, pp. 2832–2838.
- Garland, Cedric F., et al. “Vitamin D and Prevention of Breast Cancer: Pooled Analysis.” The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, vol. 103, no. 3–5, 2007, pp. 708–711.
- Holick, Michael F. “Vitamin D Deficiency.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 357, no. 3, 2007, pp. 266–281.
- Pilz, Stefan, et al. “Vitamin D and Mortality in Older Adults.” Clinical Endocrinology, vol. 77, no. 3, 2012, pp. 415–420.
- Schwalfenberg, Gerry K. “A Review of the Critical Role of Vitamin D in the Functioning of the Immune System and the Clinical Implications of Vitamin D Deficiency.” Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, vol. 55, no. 1, 2011, pp. 96–108.
- Norval, Mary, and Antony R. McLoone. “Phototoxicity and Photoallergy.” Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, vol. 23, no. 1, 2007, pp. 43–47.