The right light ‘activates the burn’ that ‘melts’ fat cells in your body

The long, gray winter days are here, and even in the south, we’ve found ourselves stuck indoors more often than not thanks to the cold, rain and wind.

And, while we all know that the lack of sunlight during the winter can lead to the blues, what you may not know is that not getting enough sun can result in something far worse – metabolic syndrome.

Yup, that cluster of issues including excess body fat around your waist and high blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure that skyrockets your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes can develop because you’re not getting enough sun.

Here’s why…

Does sunlight “melt” fat cells?

Brand new research has now shown that the fat cells deep under your skin can sense light.

Richard Lang, Ph.D., a developmental biologist and senior author of that new study “Our bodies evolved over the years under the sun’s light, including developing light-sensing genes called opsins. But now we live so much of our days under artificial light, which does not provide the full spectrum of light we all get from the sun.”

And when your body isn’t exposed to the light it needs, those opsins don’t send out the right signals and your fat cells start to behave differently — in ways that can cause you to gain weight and destroy your health.

How did the researchers discover this? Like many studies, it all started with mice…

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The team of scientists, from Cincinnati Children’s, was studying how mice control their body temperature and the effects of full-spectrum light, versus artificial light that lacks the blue wavelength, had on the process.

You see, despite the fur of a mouse (or in our case, our clothes) light does get inside our bodies. And, photons — the fundamental particles of light — scatter around once they pass the outer layers of skin to have differing effects.

Put simply, the team found that one specific wavelength of blue light (like what you get when exposed to sunlight) actually activates an internal heating process in the body. This process causes white fat cells (the kind you don’t want) to release fatty acids into the bloodstream as energy.

And, then your brown fat (the good kind of fat that is found in lean people) burns them to keep you warm.

In other words, according to the researchers, sunlight is required for normal energy metabolism: Your fat cells need to have sunlight to “activate the burn” that releases the fat stores that otherwise would lead to obesity and metabolic syndrome.

In fact, the researchers say that while human studies haven’t yet been conducted, this need for full-spectrum light to get the blue wavelength could explain the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in industrialized nations (like the U.S.) where artificial lighting is the norm.

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Spend more time outdoors

The takeaway?

The researchers say that you can’t go wrong by spending more time outdoors.

In the spring or summer, 10-20 minutes a day outside without sunscreen is probably enough. In the winter, though it gets trickier.

That’s why it can help to invest in a lamp that mimics the sun and provides the blue wavelength of light fat cells crave to kick their energy system into high gear. In fact, you can get one for less than $60 on Amazon, like this one, which has two light-, and three time-settings and mimic a bright, sunny blue sky.

It’s worth it to maintain your health and help you get the full spectrum light you need daily to avoid metabolic syndrome.

Sources:

1. Metabolic syndrome — Mayo Clinic
2. Fat cells can sense sunlight — not getting enough increases metabolic syndrome risk — EurekAlert