General

View on red light and long wavelength light therapies

6 months ago (edited)

There are a lot of red / NIR light therapy panels out there, and they are mentioned by every influencer and in longevity blogs. After watching the latest Huberman podcast and checking out some studies on light therapy I was surprised how thin the research is.

A general problem seems to be the lack of natural light and working all day indoors in close range to monitors and cheap LED room lighting.

Some of the positive red light study results can be replicated by exposing people to classic light bulbs which have a light spectrum closer to natural light than cheap LEDs. Even full spectrum LEDs don't seem to solve this. It is not 100% understood why.

Some studies were done in northern countries like Sweden, where people don't get a lot of exposure to natural light, especially during winter.

There are a ton of red light panels and some offer a broad range of wave lengths but some lack the wavelength which most studies use, because those LED are more expensive. Look for medical grade or high quality devices and wave lengths that treat your problem.

Different types of light and panels need different types of exposure. Some target the skin others deeper tissues.

Summery

Long wave length and red light therapy devices seems to be best for people who are indoor most of the time and are exposed to lots of LED lighting. Its unclear if they really provide an advantage to natural light. A cheaper alternative is to spent more time outside during low UV times or install some classic or halogen bulbs.

High quality devices could help with specific problems but because there are a ton of devices out there with very a big range in quality its unclear if there is a general longevity effect with these panels.

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· 6 months ago

Could you share the link to the podcast? Would also like to dive deeper into the topic

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· 4 months ago

I sit in front of a RLT panel every morning and while it's hard to know if there are tangible benefits I have noticed the following:

- Mood improves immediately during and after (but not in the first few minutes because I take my clothes off and it's cold)
- The warmth lingers beyond the time I spent in front of the panel
- The random acne spots on my back have disappeared completely
- My bicep strain feels better during treatment, but this is relatively short lived

That being said, all of these are huge wins for me and I can easily justify still keeping this in my routine.

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· 4 months ago (edited)

Here are some research studies about redlight therapy. Overall effects are insane: one training group using red light therapy achieved over 50% greater muscle hypertrophy within two months compared to the training group without photobiomodulation (PBM). In addition to increased muscle growth, the PBM group showed a 20.5% increase in strength, compared to 13.7% in the non-PBM training group. Other PBM groups demonstrated lower inflammatory markers. Athletes treated with photobiomodulation showed, on average, a twofold faster return-to-play time (after injuries) compared to athletes who did not receive PBM. When applied before training, photobiomodulation not only supports recovery but may also enhance performance (strength, speed, endurance) and increase resilience to upcoming training load. You want redlight (630–660 nm) and near-infraredlight (800nm - 930nm) waves, roughly 30-40cm distance and between 20-30min per session (as far as the research protocols say).

Based on my own long-term HRV screenings and spectral analysis, I observed a marked increase in autonomic energy production while sitting in front of my PBM module. Functionally, it behaves like a charging station for the nervous system, acting as both a performance and recovery enhancer depending on timing and context. The primary mechanism appears to be mitochondrial stimulation, supporting ATP production and overall cellular energy availability. Plus, I have noticed clear improvements in skin quality and vision. My skin remains smooth despite minimal topical care, and my eyesight improved from 1.25 diopters to the point where I no longer require reading glasses. As Andrew Huberman has noted, cold exposure may increase the skin’s ability to absorb red light, suggesting a synergistic effect when combining ice baths with photobiomodulation and it may increase testosteron production, if you let it shine on your jewels.

(1) Hamblin MR. Mechanisms and Mitochondrial Redox Signaling in Photobiomodulation. Photochem Photobiol. 2018 Mar;94(2):199-212. doi: 10.1111/php.12864. Epub 2018 Jan 19. PMID: 29164625; PMCID: PMC5844808.

(2) de Freitas LF, Hamblin MR. Proposed Mechanisms of Photobiomodulation or Low-Level Light Therapy. IEEE J Sel Top Quantum Electron. 2016 May-Jun;22(3):7000417. doi: 10.1109/JSTQE.2016.2561201. PMID: 28070154; PMCID: PMC5215870.

(3) Agrawal T, Gupta GK, Rai V, Carroll JD, Hamblin MR. Pre-conditioning with low-level laser (light) therapy: light before the storm. Dose Response. 2014 Sep 22;12(4):619-49. doi: 10.2203/dose-response.14-032.Agrawal. PMID: 25552961; PMCID: PMC4267453.

(4) Baroni BM, Rodrigues R, Freire BB, Franke Rde A, Geremia JM, Vaz MA. Effect of low-level laser therapy on muscle adaptation to knee extensor eccentric training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2015 Mar;115(3):639-47. doi: 10.1007/s00421-014-3055-y. Epub 2014 Nov 23. PMID: 25417170.

(5) Ferraresi C, Bertucci D, Schiavinato J, Reiff R, Araújo A, Panepucci R, Matheucci E Jr, Cunha AF, Arakelian VM, Hamblin MR, Parizotto N, Bagnato V. Effects of Light-Emitting Diode Therapy on Muscle Hypertrophy, Gene Expression, Performance, Damage, and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness: Case-control Study with a Pair of Identical Twins. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2016 Oct;95(10):746-57. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000000490. PMID: 27088469; PMCID: PMC5026559.

(6) Foley J, Vasily DB, Bradle J, Rudio C, Calderhead RG. 830 nm light-emitting diode (led) phototherapy significantly reduced return-to-play in injured university athletes: a pilot study. Laser Ther. 2016 Mar 31;25(1):35-42. doi: 10.5978/islsm.16-OR-03. PMID: 27141153; PMCID: PMC4846838.

(7) Ferraresi C, Bertucci D, Schiavinato J, Reiff R, Araújo A, Panepucci R, Matheucci E Jr, Cunha AF, Arakelian VM, Hamblin MR, Parizotto N, Bagnato V. Effects of Light-Emitting Diode Therapy on Muscle Hypertrophy, Gene Expression, Performance, Damage, and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness: Case-control Study with a Pair of Identical Twins. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2016 Oct;95(10):746-57. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000000490. PMID: 27088469; PMCID: PMC5026559.

(8) Ferraresi C, Beltrame T, Fabrizzi F, do Nascimento ES, Karsten M, Francisco Cde O, Borghi-Silva A, Catai AM, Cardoso DR, Ferreira AG, Hamblin MR, Bagnato VS, Parizotto NA. Muscular pre-conditioning using light-emitting diode therapy (LEDT) for high-intensity exercise: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial with a single elite runner. Physiother Theory Pract. 2015 Jul;31(5):354-61. doi: 10.3109/09593985.2014.1003118. Epub 2015 Jan 14. PMID: 25585514; PMCID: PMC4470717.

(9) Borsa PA, Larkin KA, True JM. Does phototherapy enhance skeletal muscle contractile function and postexercise recovery? A systematic review. J Athl Train. 2013 Jan-Feb;48(1):57-67. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-48.1.12. PMID: 23672326; PMCID: PMC3554033.

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