What Ancient Wisdom and Modern Research Are Teaching Us About Health Again

For decades we've been told to fear three things: the sun, salt and cholesterol.

Stay out of the sun. Eat less salt. Lower your cholesterol at all costs.

These messages became deeply embedded in modern healthcare and public health campaigns. While they were often created with good intentions, newer research has revealed a much more nuanced picture. Many of the original recommendations were based on incomplete evidence or were applied far too broadly across entire populations.

Today, researchers are recognising something that traditional cultures and ancient healing systems understood long before laboratories existed: our bodies evolved with sunlight, mineral-rich salt and cholesterol as essential parts of human biology.

That doesn't mean unlimited sun exposure, excessive salt or ignoring genuinely high cardiovascular risk. It means understanding balance, context and individual health rather than treating these natural substances as enemies.

From a functional medicine perspective—and through the lens of ancestral health—it is time to revisit these three pillars of wellness.

Have We Been Fighting Nature Instead of Working With It?

For thousands of years humans lived outdoors, ate mineral-rich foods, sweated regularly, hunted, walked long distances and were exposed to natural sunlight almost every day.

Our ancestors didn't have sunscreen, processed food or artificially lit offices. They also didn't consume ultra-processed foods loaded with refined sugars, industrial seed oils and chemical additives.

Modern life has changed almost every environmental input our bodies receive.

Perhaps the biggest lesson from current research is not that ancient people were always right—it is that our biology still reflects the environment we evolved in.

Let's look at each of these misunderstood health heroes.

Part 1: Sunlight — More Than Just Vitamin D

Sunlight Is a Biological Signal

For years sunlight was reduced to a single conversation: vitamin D.

We now know sunlight influences much more than vitamin D production.

Natural sunlight helps regulate:

• Circadian rhythm.

• Sleep quality.

• Hormone production.

• Mood.

• Immune signalling.

• Nitric oxide release in the skin, which may help support healthy blood vessel function.

Morning sunlight is especially important because it helps synchronise the body's internal clock, influencing cortisol and melatonin production throughout the day.

Vitamin D Is Actually Made From Cholesterol

One fascinating fact often overlooked is that vitamin D begins with a cholesterol-derived molecule in the skin called 7-dehydrocholesterol.

When UVB rays reach the skin, this molecule is converted into vitamin D3 before being activated by the liver and kidneys.

In other words:

Without cholesterol, your body cannot make vitamin D naturally.

That changes the conversation entirely.

The New Research: It's More Complicated Than "Just Get More Sun"

Recent studies show that many people—especially older adults and people with darker skin pigmentation living at higher latitudes—remain vitamin D deficient even after summer sun exposure.

This tells us two important things:

• Sunlight is important, but it is not always sufficient on its own.

• Diet, lifestyle, skin pigmentation, age and metabolic health all influence vitamin D status.

Functional medicine encourages working with sunlight intelligently, not fearing it or relying on it exclusively.

What Functional Medicine Pays Attention To

Instead of avoiding the sun completely:

• Seek gentle morning sunlight daily.

• Avoid burning.

• Spend time outdoors regularly.

• Support vitamin D with nutrient-rich foods if needed.

• Test vitamin D levels rather than guessing.

Sunlight is medicine when used wisely.

Part 2: Salt — The Mineral We've Been Told to Fear

Is Salt Really the Problem?

For years "low salt" became synonymous with "healthy."

But sodium is an essential mineral.

Your body needs it for:

• Hydration.

• Nerve function.

• Muscle contraction.

• Blood volume regulation.

• Stomach acid production.

Without enough sodium, cells simply cannot function properly.

The Real Issue May Be Processed Food

Modern diets contain enormous amounts of sodium—but mostly from processed foods.

This comes packaged alongside:

• Refined sugar.

• Industrial oils.

• Artificial additives.

• Preservatives.

Ancient diets contained salt too—but alongside whole foods, minerals and physical activity.

The source matters.

Salt Is Not Just Sodium Chloride

Natural mineral salts also contain trace minerals, including magnesium, potassium and calcium in varying amounts depending on their source.

While these minerals exist in relatively small quantities, choosing minimally processed salts can be part of an overall mineral-rich diet.

Individual Needs Matter

Research increasingly recognises that people respond differently to sodium intake.

Some individuals are salt-sensitive, particularly those with hypertension, kidney disease or certain genetic factors.

Others—especially athletes, people living in hot climates and those eating whole-food diets—may require more sodium because they lose it through sweat.

South Africans living active outdoor lifestyles often lose significant sodium during exercise and summer heat.

Balance matters more than blanket rules.

Part 3: Cholesterol — The Most Misunderstood Molecule in the Body

Cholesterol Isn't the Villain

Perhaps no molecule has been more misunderstood than cholesterol.

Cholesterol is essential for life.

Your body uses cholesterol to produce:

• Vitamin D.

• Testosterone.

• Oestrogen.

• Progesterone.

• Cortisol.

• Cell membranes.

• Bile acids for digestion.

Every cell in your body contains cholesterol.

Your Brain Loves Cholesterol

Roughly a quarter of the body's cholesterol is found in the brain.

It plays important roles in:

• Neuron structure.

• Synapse formation.

• Myelin insulation around nerves.

This is one reason extremely low cholesterol levels can also have health implications in some people.

The New Cholesterol Conversation

Modern cardiovascular research has become much more sophisticated.

Rather than asking only:

"Is cholesterol high?"

Researchers now ask:

• What is LDL particle quality?

• What is HDL doing?

• What are triglycerides?

• What is insulin sensitivity?

• What is inflammation?

• What is metabolic health?

Current evidence supports that elevated LDL cholesterol is a significant cardiovascular risk factor for many people, especially when combined with other risk factors. However, LDL is not the whole story, and overall risk depends on genetics, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, inflammation and metabolic health.

Functional medicine often pays attention to the entire metabolic picture, not one isolated number.

Food Cholesterol Isn't the Same as Blood Cholesterol

This has been one of the biggest shifts in nutrition science.

For most healthy people:

• Eggs do not significantly raise blood cholesterol.

• Dietary cholesterol has relatively little effect on blood cholesterol compared with saturated fat intake, genetics and overall diet quality.

Many guidelines have moved away from strict cholesterol limits on foods like eggs.

The emphasis is increasingly on reducing ultra-processed foods and improving overall dietary quality.

Ancient Medicine Focused on Building Health, Not Fighting Numbers

Ancient healing systems rarely measured cholesterol.

Instead they asked:

• How well do you digest food?

• How is your energy?

• How do you sleep?

• How is your resilience?

• Are you exposed to nature?

• Are your minerals balanced?

Health was viewed as a whole-body ecosystem.

This philosophy aligns surprisingly well with modern systems biology.

What Should We Really Pay Attention to in 2026?

Instead of fearing sunlight, salt and cholesterol, functional medicine encourages paying attention to the foundations that drive metabolic health.

1. Metabolic Health

Ask:

• Is blood sugar stable?

• Are triglycerides elevated?

• Is waist circumference increasing?

• Are you insulin resistant?

These markers often tell us more than cholesterol alone.

2. Chronic Inflammation

Inflammation is increasingly recognised as an important contributor to chronic disease.

Support it through:

• Whole foods.

• Omega-3 fats.

• Sleep.

• Exercise.

• Stress management.

• Healthy gut microbiome.

3. Gut Health Comes First

At Sebastian Siebert Supplements we believe the gut remains the foundation of wellness.

A healthy microbiome supports:

• Immune health.

• Nutrient absorption.

• Hormone metabolism.

• Inflammatory balance.

This is why FLORISH Spore Probiotic with Fulvic Acid was developed—to help restore microbial diversity while supporting the gut environment.

4. Minerals Matter More Than Ever

Modern soils often contain fewer minerals than they once did.

Minerals support:

• Energy production.

• Hydration.

• Muscle function.

• Nervous system health.

• Enzyme activity.

This is where FULFIXER Pure Fulvic Acid complements a wellness strategy by providing dedicated fulvic acid supplementation alongside a mineral-rich diet.

5. Circadian Rhythm Is Ancient Medicine

Your body expects:

• Morning light.

• Daytime movement.

• Darkness at night.

• Consistent sleep.

Poor circadian rhythm affects hormones, blood sugar regulation and gut health.

Sunlight is one of the most powerful circadian regulators available.

Five Ancient Habits Modern Science Supports

A Functional Medicine Perspective: Look Beyond the Headlines

One lesson from the past decade is that nutrition science evolves.

Ideas once presented as absolute truths have become more nuanced as better evidence has emerged.

That doesn't mean every old recommendation was wrong—it means context matters.

A functional approach asks:

• Why is this person inflamed?

• Why are they deficient?

• Why is their gut unhealthy?

• Why is their metabolism struggling?

The goal is to understand the root causes rather than simply chasing laboratory numbers.

The Bottom Line

Sunlight, salt and cholesterol are not enemies of human health. They are natural components of our biology that need to be understood in context, not feared.

The new research does not say unlimited sun exposure is safe, everyone should eat excessive salt, or high cholesterol can always be ignored. Instead, it challenges simplistic messages and encourages a more personalised view of health. Safe sun exposure, appropriate sodium intake and cholesterol management should all be considered alongside an individual's overall health, genetics and risk factors.

From both ancient wisdom and modern science, the message is remarkably consistent:

• Spend sensible time in natural sunlight.

• Eat real, nutrient-dense foods.

• Prioritise minerals and hydration.

• Support your gut microbiome.

• Understand cholesterol as an essential molecule, while managing cardiovascular risk based on the whole metabolic picture rather than one number alone.

At Sebastian Siebert Supplements, we believe true wellness is built by working with the body's natural design. FLORISH Spore Probiotic with Fulvic Acid supports the foundation of gut health, while FULFIXER Pure Fulvic Acid provides dedicated fulvic acid support as part of a holistic approach to modern wellness.