We often hear about it all over the news. Overexposure to the sun will harm your health. But in a place like Vancouver, who wouldn’t love the sun that comes only every once in a while behind all the dark and gloomy clouds? Especially when it offers health benefits? This must be a joke right?
A doctor testing blood pressure. (Source: Flickr – PassiveIncomeDream)
A research article published on the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found that the exposure of sunlight to the skin surprisingly lowers blood pressure, providing health benefits, contrary to the popular belief.
The sun can help lower blood pressure. (Source: Flickr – AngellaAliaga
As a precursor before we begin, Ultraviolet radiation, or UV radiation, can be found in natural sources, such as the sun, and in artificial sources – ranging from welding equipment to lasers to the most commonly well-known ones: tanning beds and tanning lamps.
During the study conducted at the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh, 24 healthy individuals were kept under tanning lamps which emitted UV radiation for two 20 minute sessions, while their blood pressure was examined. In the first session, exposure to all 24 individuals by the UV rays and the heat of the lamps simultaneously were carried out. However, in the second session, all individuals were merely exposed to the heat of the lamps, but not the UV rays.
Results demonstrated a significant difference between the blood pressure measured during the exposure and inexposure of UV rays to the skin. So what exactly happened there?
According to Martin Feelisch, a Professor of Experimental Medicine and Integrative Biology at the University of Southampton, the lower in blood pressure is caused by the release of nitric oxide (NO) found in the skin into the blood circulation, upon exposure to UV rays. Inside the bloodstream, NO helps to widen the blood vessels by assisting the muscular walls to relax, in a process known as vasodilation. Remarkably, it is no doubt that a drop in blood pressure would lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. Clearly, NO plays a very large role in helping to maintain blood pressure.
The process of vasodilation – before and after. (Source: learningaboutanthropology.blogspot.com)
(Click here to learn more about the benefits of nitric oxide in the body.)
Interestingly enough, this study proves to be quite strikingly important as it was long known that the only benefit of sunlight was the production of vitamin D and consequently, the risks heavily outweighed it. This surprising development shed light on sunlight (no pun intended) whose name was always associated with negative feelings. It has also encouraged and opened up new research studies for scientists focusing upon the benefits of sunlight.
Thus, despite the risks surrounding the topic of sunlight, I believe that the beneficial aspects of it will eventually outweigh the risks. So the next time someone hears the word “sunlight”, the words “lower blood pressure” should immediately come to mind and know that it now owns a positive connotation.
– Miranda Tuet
Source:
http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/sunlight-may-help-lower-blood-pressure/
