Post by UV Princess on Jul 27, 2022 2:23:08 GMT -5
Another cool article guys! 😎
Sunbathing on a tropical vacation could help you burn off fat, study says
By Natalie Rahhal For Dailymail.com
Researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada found that the layer of fat just below our skin responds to blue light emitted by the sun. During shorter, darker days, these fat cells build up, contributing to winter weight gains. The study suggests that some moderate sunbathing can help to shrink fat cells. Because these cells react to the sun, the researchers speculate that skin and fat may play a role in maintaining our internal clocks.
Study co-author and director of the university's Alberta Diabetes Institute, Dr Peter Light, explained: 'When the sun's blue light wavelengths - the light we can see with our eye - penetrate our skin and reach the fat cells just beneath, lipid droplets reduce in size and are released out of the cell.
'In other words, our cells don't store as much fat.'
Lipids are fats found in the blood, including cholesterol and triglycerides, levels of which rise when we put on weight.
Dr Light added: 'If you flip our findings around, the insufficient sunlight exposure we get eight months of the year living in a northern climate may be promoting fat storage and contribute to the typical weight gain some of us have over winter.' Dr. Light hopes it could lead to the development of new drugs, or even light therapy, to combat obesity, diabetes and other related health issues. His team made the discovery while investigating how to bioengineer fat cells to produce the glucose regulating hormone insulin in response to light, to help patients with type 1 diabetes.
'It was serendipitous,' said Dr Light, adding his name is an ironic coincidence since light was not his primary field of research.
'We noticed the reaction in human tissue cells in our negative control experiments, and since there was nothing in the literature, we knew it was important to investigate further.' Based on the finding, the fat cells we store near our skin may act as a peripheral biological clock. Dr Light said: 'It is early days, but it is not a giant leap to suppose the light that regulates our circadian rhythm, received through our eyes, may also have the same impact through the fat cells near our skin.' The molecular pathway they discovered was first identified as being activated by the eye when exposed to the blue wavelengths in sunlight. He explained: 'That is why you are not supposed to look at digital devices before bed because they emit the same blue light the sun does, that signals us to wake up.
'Well, perhaps that pathway - exposure to sunlight that directs our sleep-wake patterns - may also act in a sensory manner, setting the amount of fat humans burn depending on the season. You gain weight in the winter, and then burn it off in the summer.' This could be evolutionary process, supported by the fact that, unlike many other mammals, our fat is spread out all over our bodies just underneath our skin.
Added Dr Light: 'Our initial first observation certainly holds many fascinating clues for our team and others around the world to explore.' 'Basically what we discovered is the fat cells beneath the skin have a light sensitive pathway in them, so they can actually respond to some of the wavelengths that can pass through on a sunny day. 'Therefore, I suggest how our fat cells respond to being in sunlight may have important implications for reducing fat storage in summer months.'
Sunbathing on a tropical vacation could help you burn off fat, study says
By Natalie Rahhal For Dailymail.com
Researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada found that the layer of fat just below our skin responds to blue light emitted by the sun. During shorter, darker days, these fat cells build up, contributing to winter weight gains. The study suggests that some moderate sunbathing can help to shrink fat cells. Because these cells react to the sun, the researchers speculate that skin and fat may play a role in maintaining our internal clocks.
Study co-author and director of the university's Alberta Diabetes Institute, Dr Peter Light, explained: 'When the sun's blue light wavelengths - the light we can see with our eye - penetrate our skin and reach the fat cells just beneath, lipid droplets reduce in size and are released out of the cell.
'In other words, our cells don't store as much fat.'
Lipids are fats found in the blood, including cholesterol and triglycerides, levels of which rise when we put on weight.
Dr Light added: 'If you flip our findings around, the insufficient sunlight exposure we get eight months of the year living in a northern climate may be promoting fat storage and contribute to the typical weight gain some of us have over winter.' Dr. Light hopes it could lead to the development of new drugs, or even light therapy, to combat obesity, diabetes and other related health issues. His team made the discovery while investigating how to bioengineer fat cells to produce the glucose regulating hormone insulin in response to light, to help patients with type 1 diabetes.
'It was serendipitous,' said Dr Light, adding his name is an ironic coincidence since light was not his primary field of research.
'We noticed the reaction in human tissue cells in our negative control experiments, and since there was nothing in the literature, we knew it was important to investigate further.' Based on the finding, the fat cells we store near our skin may act as a peripheral biological clock. Dr Light said: 'It is early days, but it is not a giant leap to suppose the light that regulates our circadian rhythm, received through our eyes, may also have the same impact through the fat cells near our skin.' The molecular pathway they discovered was first identified as being activated by the eye when exposed to the blue wavelengths in sunlight. He explained: 'That is why you are not supposed to look at digital devices before bed because they emit the same blue light the sun does, that signals us to wake up.
'Well, perhaps that pathway - exposure to sunlight that directs our sleep-wake patterns - may also act in a sensory manner, setting the amount of fat humans burn depending on the season. You gain weight in the winter, and then burn it off in the summer.' This could be evolutionary process, supported by the fact that, unlike many other mammals, our fat is spread out all over our bodies just underneath our skin.
Added Dr Light: 'Our initial first observation certainly holds many fascinating clues for our team and others around the world to explore.' 'Basically what we discovered is the fat cells beneath the skin have a light sensitive pathway in them, so they can actually respond to some of the wavelengths that can pass through on a sunny day. 'Therefore, I suggest how our fat cells respond to being in sunlight may have important implications for reducing fat storage in summer months.'