A study published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis led by surgeon-scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that both mice and humans who were exposed to long-wavelength red light experienced lower rates of blood clots that can cause heart attacks, strokes, and lung damage.
“The light we’re exposed to can change our biological processes and change our health,” said lead author Elizabeth Andraska, M.D., assistant professor of surgery in Pitt’s Trauma and Transfusion Medicine Research Center and vascular surgery resident at UPMC. “Our findings could lead to a relatively inexpensive therapy that would benefit millions of people.”
Light exposure is well known to affect health outcomes. For example, the rising/setting of the sun underlies metabolism, hormone secretion, and blood flow. Additionally, heart attack and stroke are more likely to happen in the morning than at night. To this end, the research team investigated whether lighting could have an impact on the blood clots that likely lead to these conditions.
Investigating red light exposure
To carry out the investigation, mice were exposed to 12 hours of red light, blue light, or white light, which was followed by 12 hours of darkness in a 72-hour cycle. The research team then looked for differences between the different color light groups. Their analysis revealed that the mice in the red light group had nearly 5 times fewer clots than the mice in the other two groups. However, the activity, sleep, eating, weight, and body temperature remained the same between all three groups.
Next, the research team analyzed existing data from over 10,000 patients who underwent cataract surgery and received either conventional lenses transmitting the entire visible spectrum of light, or blue light filtering lenses that transmit 50% less blue light. This analysis revealed that cancer patients receiving blue light filtering lenses have significantly lower risks of blood clots compared to those with conventional lenses. This is important because cancer patients have 9 times the risk of blood clots compared to counterparts without cancer.
“These results are unraveling a fascinating mystery about how the light to which we’re exposed on a daily basis influences our body’s response to injury,” said senior author Matthew Neal, M.D., professor of surgery, Watson Fund in Surgery Chair and co-director of the Trauma and Transfusion Medicine Research Center at Pitt, and trauma surgeon at UPMC. “Our next steps are to figure out why, biologically, this is happening, and to test if exposing people at high risk for blood clots to more red light lowers that risk. Getting to the bottom of our discovery has the potential to massively reduce the number of deaths and disabilities caused by blood clots worldwide.”
According to the research team, this study indicates that the optic pathway is the key, as the light wavelength did not have any impact on blind mice used as controls, and shining light directly on blood did not cause a change in blood clotting.
Additionally, the research team observed that red light exposure was associated with reduced inflammation and activation of the immune system. Mice exposed to red light had fewer neutrophil extracellular traps which are structures made by immune cells to trap invading microorganisms and can also trap platelets that can lead to clotting. These mice also had increased fatty acid production which reduces platelet activation, which naturally leads to less blood clot formation.
More research is required
Gaining a better understanding of how the red lighting is triggering changes that beneficially affect blood clotting risk could open new paths for medication and/or therapies. Although their findings need to be verified by thorough clinical trials, these findings suggest the potential to reduce blood clots in arteries and veins that are among the leading causes of preventable death around the World.
The research team is in the process of developing red light goggles to control the amount of light exposure that participants will be receiving to investigate who may have the most benefits from red light exposure in upcoming clinical trials.
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