Blue Light Exposure Reduces Systolic Blood Pressure, Study Shows

Exposure to blue light significantly decreases systolic blood pressure and increases heart rate, lowering the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, a study led by University of Surrey’s Professor Christian Heiss has found.

Whole body irradiation with visible blue light improves blood pressure. Image credit: Daniel Reche.

Whole body irradiation with visible blue light improves blood pressure. Image credit: Daniel Reche.

“Previous studies have shown that ultraviolet (UV) light can lead to the release of nitric oxide from the skin and decrease blood pressure,” Professor Heiss and colleagues said.

“In contrast to visible light the local application of UV light bears a cancerogenic risk.”

“We investigated whether whole body exposure to visible blue light can also decrease blood pressure and increase endothelial function in healthy subjects.”

In a randomized crossover study, 14 healthy male subjects were exposed to 30 minutes of whole-body blue light at approximately 450 nm, a dose comparable to daily sunlight — followed by exposure to a control light on a different day.

To assess the impact, participants’ blood pressure, stiffness of arteries, blood vessel dilation and blood plasma levels of nitric oxide stores were measured before, during, and up to 2 hours after irradiation with both lights.

Professor Heiss and co-authors found that exposure to whole-body blue light significantly reduced the systolic blood pressure of participants by almost 8 mmHg, compared to the control light which had no impact.

They uncovered that exposure to blue light improved other cardiovascular risk markers including reduction of arterial stiffness and increasing blood vessel relaxation. This further supports that light could be used to prevent cardiovascular disease.

They also found that exposure to blue light increased levels of nitric oxide which is an important signaling molecular that protects the cardiovascular system.

It is believed that blue light releases from the skin into the blood stream where it relaxes the blood vessels, increasing blood flow and decreasing blood pressure.

“Exposure to blue light provides an innovative method to precisely control blood pressure without drugs,” Professor Heiss.

“Wearable blue light sources could make continued exposure to light possible and practical. This would be particularly helpful to those whose blood pressure is not easily controlled by medication, such as older people.”

The study appears in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology.

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Manuel Stern et al. Blue light exposure decreases systolic blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and improves endothelial function in humans. European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, published online September 10, 2018; doi: 10.1177/2047487318800072

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