Can sunlight lower blood pressure without hurting your skin?
Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Production of Nitric Oxide:A multi-cell and multi-donor analysis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
UV-A causes 15,000 times less DNA damage per joule than UV-B.
Most people think all UV is equally dangerous—this shows UV-A’s biological benefit (nitric oxide release) comes with dramatically lower cancer risk than the UV-B we’re told to avoid.
Practical Takeaways
Get 10–15 minutes of morning or late afternoon sunlight (340–370 nm range) on arms or legs—without sunscreen—to potentially boost nitric oxide and lower blood pressure.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
UV-A causes 15,000 times less DNA damage per joule than UV-B.
Most people think all UV is equally dangerous—this shows UV-A’s biological benefit (nitric oxide release) comes with dramatically lower cancer risk than the UV-B we’re told to avoid.
Practical Takeaways
Get 10–15 minutes of morning or late afternoon sunlight (340–370 nm range) on arms or legs—without sunscreen—to potentially boost nitric oxide and lower blood pressure.
Publication
Journal
Scientific Reports
Year
2017
Authors
G. Holliman, Donna J. Lowe, Howard Cohen, Sarah Felton, K. Raj
Related Content
Claims (5)
When your skin is exposed to sunlight, nitrite in your skin—not nitrate—turns into a helpful molecule called nitric oxide that may improve blood flow. Scientists found this happens best when the light is UV-A and the nitrite is in a specific form.
When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it releases a substance that helps relax your blood vessels, which can lower your blood pressure.
Sunlight’s UV-A rays might help your blood vessels relax by turning a substance in your skin called nitrite into nitric oxide, even without your body using its usual method—this could be why you feel that warm, tingling sensation in the sun.
When your skin is exposed to sunlight, the tiny cells near your blood vessels release a chemical that helps your blood vessels widen, just like the skin cells do—this might be why your skin turns red and feels warm in the sun.
Certain types of sunlight, specifically a narrow band of UV light between 340 and 370 nanometers, can trigger a helpful chemical reaction in your skin that releases nitric oxide — which might one day be used to treat health problems.