Thread by @zaidkdahhaj

Understanding POMC

The key to ending the obesity, diabetes, heart disease, neurodegenerative, and cancer crisis

POMC & PEPTIDE THREAD

Many of us know of Dr. Jack Kruse

He relentlessly beats this drum about understanding POMC, its derivatives, and how they impact human health

I have yet to see a comprehensive breakdown on this

So I said fuck it and wrote the thread myself so that you fully understand

It’s not easy to piece all this together

Take this thread seriously and learn from it because it comes at the hand of my obsessive tendency

Once you understand this, you’re perspective on health changes forever

What is POMC?

We’re talking about a protein known as proopiomelanocortin (POMC)

It originates from the POMC gene which is located on chromosome 2 in human beings

This one pathway is everything

It explains most of the dysfunction we see as a result of modern living

What’s special about it?

It’s ancient in origin, conserved over the course of hundreds of millions of years

Mother Nature has crafted this gene to perfection. Expect nothing less of her

As you read more here, you’ll understand why it’s important

POMC itself is cut (cleaved) into multiple peptide hormones that have an enormous influence on health

These peptides bind to one of several proteins in different regions of the body

This binding triggers signaling pathways that control many important metabolic functions

Here’s the juicy part:

POMC is fundamentally married to circadian biology which means that light is everything here

Understanding the difference between healing sunlight and toxic artificial light is crucial

As I mentioned earlier, POMC is cleaved into a number of peptides

What are these peptides?

Read more

1. LEPTIN

The first on the list is leptin, what most refer to as the satiety hormone

Leptin is a peptide hormone found in fat cells that’s stimulated by POMC neurons which is responsible for

• appetite regulation
• energy expenditure
• fat storage

And more

Leptin resistance has been referenced a lot recently

In conditions of obesity, this is where the brain becomes less responsive to leptin’s signals

As a result, dysregulation of POMC and other appetite-related pathways occur

2. α-MSH

Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone is another peptide made from POMC responsible for creating melanin which is an absolute powerhouse for health

Read more about melanin below

https://twitter.com/zaidkdahhaj/status/1715777296408420692

3. β-MSH

Beta-melanocyte stimulating hormone plays a huge role in weight regulation

It helps maintain the balance between energy from food taken into the body and energy spent by the body

It’s also anti-inflammatory

4. γ-MSH

Gamma-melanocyte stimulating hormone seems to regulate sodium in the body and controls blood pressure

Appetite regulation, thermoregulation, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective

Laundry list of benefits

5. ACTH

Adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulates the release of cortisol

This hormone helps maintain blood sugar (glucose) levels, protects the body from stress, and stops inflammation

Keep this in mind as we discuss toxic artificial light and diabetes

6. CLIP

Corticotropin-like intermediate peptide is an insulin secretagog

In other words, it stimulates the secretion of insulin from the pancreas

Also important to keep in mind along with ACTH for metabolic syndrome

7. β-endorphin

Beta endorphin is an opioid peptide one I’ve covered before

It’s largely responsible for why we’re biologically driven to be addicted to sunlight

https://twitter.com/zaidkdahhaj/status/1710333922834534632

8. [Met]Enkephalin

Metenkefalin is another opioid peptide known as opioid growth factor (OGF)

It largely serves the same function as beta-endorphin for pain, mood enhancement, mental health

It’s also a cell growth inhibitor, making it a potential cancer treatment

9. β-Lipotropin & γ-LPH

A peptide hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland

It’s a precursor to several other hormones, including beta-endorphin

Gamma lipotropin (γ-LPH) can influence the breakdown of fat in the body

Notice the overlap in every single one of these peptides that are cleaved from POMC

Full body regulation of metabolism

This is powerful stuff

And you can use this information to your biological advantage for health

Just to illustrate a stark example (there are many of them)

Our biology evolved with sunlight, the full light spectrum, to make the most of POMC

So what impact does artificial light have on this gene and its peptide derivatives?

A nasty one

Isolated blue light hijacks POMC, ACTH, and CLIP to raise insulin and blood sugar, independent of what you eat

Millions are setting themselves up for insulin resistance and diabetes because of the light around them

That sounds insane to most

But it’s not when you understand that all chronic disease stems from insulin resistance

Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, all convert at this intersection of biology

Food quality is important

But it takes a backseat to light

If you deny this, you’re denying billions of years of evolutionary and quantum biology

Think twice about what light you’re bathed in all day

This is the foundation of health

Health or disease is largely determined by the quality of your light environment

Want practical takeaways?

Get AM sunlight

Build a solar callus through progressive overload of sun exposure, regardless of skin type

Sunbathe routinely

Build your melanin

Watch sunrise and sunset

Toss the sunglasses and sunscreen

Block artificial light religiously below

https://twitter.com/zaidkdahhaj/status/1678791131587559426

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