Blue light still needed, can reduce blood pressure

While several studies have been warning consumers that long exposure to blue components of light at bed time may disturb their circadian cycle, a novel study published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology revealed that exposure to blue light at doses comparable to daily sunlight reduced blood pressure as much as using blood pressure lowering drugs.

In the study, participants were exposed to 30 minutes of whole-body blue light at approximately 450 nanometres, a dose comparable to daily sunlight – followed by exposure to a control light on a different day. Visible blue light, as opposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, is not carcinogenic. 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 two hours after irradiation with both lights.

Researchers discovered 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.

Besides blood pressure lowering effects, it was also 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, which kills over 150,000 people in the UK every year.

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