Does Light Impact Cellular Health and Inflammation More Than Food? With Dr. Sara Pugh
Dr. Jockers Functional Nutrition
Dr. Jockers
4.8 • 688 Ratings
🗓️ 16 September 2025
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Dr. Jockers dives deep with Dr. Sara Pugh into how light influences your mitochondria, hormones, and inflammation in ways food alone never could. You’ll hear how sunrise sets your body clock, why sunset prepares your system for rest, and how the balance of light and darkness fuels cellular health.
You’ll learn how artificial blue light at night can disrupt cortisol, blood sugar, and cravings, and why the wrong kind of light exposure can be just as damaging as poor nutrition. Discover why your mitochondria respond to light as much as to food and how this hidden factor impacts your mood, metabolism, and resilience.
We also explore practical steps—like grounding, sauna use, and cold therapy—that boost your energy and improve sleep. Along the way, you’ll find out why sunscreen and sunglasses may do more harm than good, and how structured water and omega-3 fats fit into the bigger picture of cellular repair.
In This Episode:
00:00 Understanding the Benefits of Sunrise and UV Light
02:23 Introduction to Dr. Sara Pugh and Quantum Biology
03:11 The Importance of Sunlight and Mitochondrial Health
15:26 The Role of UVA and UVB Light in Health
20:39 The Impact of Light on Metabolism and Hormones
25:54 Structured Water and Its Health Benefits
32:32 The Power of Keystone Bacteria
32:35 Why Most New Year's Resolutions Fail
32:53 The Problem with Probiotics
33:44 A Nine-Day Fasting Experiment
36:30 Understanding Leptin and Its Effects
37:49 The Role of Blue Light and Vitamin A
38:29 The Leptin Melanocortin Pathway
38:56 Low Leptin and Its Causes
41:55 The Importance of Lab Testing
43:12 Breaking a Long Fast: Lessons Learned
46:17 The Benefits of Sauna and Cold Therapy
50:09 Cold Face Plunge: A Simple Hack
53:15 Connecting with Nature and Embracing Discomfort
55:14 Balancing Cortisol and Growth Hormone
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"The two biggest deficiencies driving chronic disease aren’t nutrients—they’re sunlight and darkness."
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Connect with Dr. Sara Pugh:
- Website: https://busysuperhuman.com/
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | With the sunrise, there isn't any ultraviolet light, and the UV is the one which |
| 0:04.0 | stimulates the production of the neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, those classes |
| 0:09.6 | of hormones. |
| 0:10.8 | Then with glass, it blocks about 50% of the red light, all of the blue and the greens can get |
| 0:16.1 | through. |
| 0:16.9 | So failing being able to go outside, you could see it through glass, but it's not going |
| 0:21.3 | to be the same benefit because also if you're inside, you're not near the Earth's magnetic |
| 0:25.5 | field and you're not grounded. |
| 0:27.8 | And there's also another important thing I've just remembered about the sunrises. |
| 0:31.6 | This podcast is sponsored by our friends over at Paleo Valley. |
| 0:34.8 | And if you have not tried their grass-fed meat sticks, what are you |
| 0:39.2 | waiting for? These meat sticks are amazing. If you go out and you look for beef jerky or something |
| 0:44.7 | like that, even if you can find it grass-fed, it's always loaded with sugar, additives, preservatives. |
| 0:51.4 | And that's why I'm so excited about grass-fed meat sticks from Paleo Valley. |
| 0:55.0 | They are an amazing snack. They can even be a meal replacement. There's no sugar, additives, or preservatives in them. |
| 1:02.0 | They're kid-friendly, high in protein and healthy fats that stabilize your blood sugar, |
| 1:07.0 | helps you get rid of craving, support muscle development. It helps you burn fat. |
| 1:11.3 | And they taste amazing. |
| 1:13.0 | They're from grass-fed cows. |
| 1:15.3 | So they have the proper omega-6-to-3 fatty acid ratio, which helps bring down inflammation. |
| 1:20.7 | And they're loaded with powerful animal-based nutrients that support your immune function, |
| 1:25.4 | your energy, and your skin health. |
... |
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