People with type 2 diabetes are eager to find successful ways to lower blood sugar levels and control metabolic disease.
Now, British researchers have found that 670 nanometers of red light on the backs of healthy people stimulates energy production in mitochondria, tiny power plants within cells, leading to increased consumption of glucose. discovered.
Specifically, blood sugar levels after glucose ingestion decreased by 27.7%, and maximum glucose spikes decreased by 7.5%.
Although this study was conducted in healthy people, this non-invasive, non-pharmacological technique can reduce harmful blood sugar fluctuations in the body that contribute to aging, and therefore has implications for postprandial diabetes management. the researchers said. .
Significant long-term health effects
The study also highlights significant long-term effects on human health, including potential blood sugar dysregulation caused by prolonged exposure to blue light. This study Biophotonics Journal With the title “Photostimulation of mitochondria lowers blood sugar levels.”
“Sunlight maintains a balance of red and blue, which we cannot see, but LED lights have a predominance of blue and very little red, so currently we see a balance of blue light. I live in a world where
This reduces mitochondrial function and ATP production, leaving our internal environment in a state of red starvation. Long-term exposure to blue light can be toxic in the absence of red light. Blue light itself has a negative impact on physiological functions, causing disturbances in blood sugar levels, which in the long term can cause diabetes and impair a healthy lifespan. The authors suggest that this may be a potential public health problem.
“Before 1990, incandescent lights were used. Incandescent lights had a balance of blue and red similar to sunlight, so there was no problem, but as the population continues to age, switching to LEDs… “This could be a ticking time bomb of poor health, which can be partially corrected by spending more time in the sun,” they added.
Mitochondria – membrane-bound organelles that generate most of the chemical energy needed to fuel a cell’s biochemical reactions – use oxygen and glucose to produce the energy-rich nucleoside adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and provides energy for important processes within cells.
Previous studies have shown that long-wavelength light (ranging from visible to near-infrared range) between 650 and 900 nanometers increases ATP production by mitochondria, lowers blood sugar levels, and improves health and longevity in animals. It has been proven that.
The authors, Professor Michael Powner, from the Department of Optometry and Visual Sciences, University College London, and Professor Glenn Jeffrey, from the Department of Ophthalmology, University College London, said that this improved ATP production could lead to changes in signal transmission throughout the body. Suggests.
Mitochondria regulate metabolism, and sunlight affects its rate. Photobiomodulation with red light increases mitochondrial membrane potential and adenosine triphosphate production, which can increase glucose demand, the researchers said.
“Here we showed, using a glucose tolerance test, that photobiomodulation significantly lowers blood glucose levels in normal subjects. Exposure to 670 nm light for 15 minutes reduces the rise in blood glucose following glucose ingestion. The extent of was reduced by 27.7% (integration over 2 hours after glucose load).
This intervention may reduce harmful fluctuations in blood sugar levels in the body.
