This new study says the sun may be to blame for your extra winter pounds!
| Jan 12, 2018, 10:34 IST
Did your New Year's resolution involve anything to do with keeping fit or losing weight? And is that not going too well? We might seem to know just why. A new study done by the University of Alberta recently stated that the sun might be the reason for you putting on some winter pounds. The research, led by pharmacology professor Peter Light shows the fat cells just beneath our skin shrink when exposed to sun rays — meaning the cells release some of the fat and hold less of it. "The blue wavelengths of light … actually, penetrate the skin and can activate the fat cells so that they lose some of the fat," Light told a leading news portal.
In the process of their research, they found the cells were responsive to light. Light said he's finally living up to his last name. Other studies have shown the blue wavelengths of light have other effects on our bodies too. The light is emitted from cell phones, laptops and other LED monitors and has been shown to suppress melatonin and increase alertness. Only one to five percent of blue light penetrates the skin, Light said and the sun is able to do that with limited exposure. But before you start spending exorbitant amounts of time in the sun and calling it a weight-loss routine, Light has said that it's still early and the study published is just a new avenue for them to explore.
Well, at least now we know why that weighing scale has been showing no better result since New Years, right?
In the process of their research, they found the cells were responsive to light. Light said he's finally living up to his last name. Other studies have shown the blue wavelengths of light have other effects on our bodies too. The light is emitted from cell phones, laptops and other LED monitors and has been shown to suppress melatonin and increase alertness. Only one to five percent of blue light penetrates the skin, Light said and the sun is able to do that with limited exposure. But before you start spending exorbitant amounts of time in the sun and calling it a weight-loss routine, Light has said that it's still early and the study published is just a new avenue for them to explore.
Well, at least now we know why that weighing scale has been showing no better result since New Years, right?