Sunshine may lower blood pressure – Study

WEB EDITION-

Hitherto, enjoying the warm sunshine was largely been touted as a method to make up for body’s vitamin D levels. But besides doing so, exposure to sunlight can also help lower blood pressure levels, researchers have found.
Previous studies have established that people suffering from mild hypertension tend to have lower blood pressure readings in hot seasons than in cold, chilly weather. Also, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease increases with the increase in the distance from the equator.

The study

Basing their theory on the aforesaid findings, researchers from the University of Southampton and the University of Edinburgh exposed 24 healthy volunteers to ultraviolet A (UVA) radiations delivered through tanning lamps for two 20-minute sessions. The exposure intensity was equivalent to bathing in the warm noon sun for 30 minutes in southern Europe.
While during the first session, the participants received both heat and light from the lamps, during the second session they received only heat.
Researchers found that exposure to UVA light caused dilation of blood vessels, causing a drop in blood pressure readings. The nitric oxide levels in the bloodstream increased upon exposure to UVA rays.
But the vitamin D levels remained unchanged, researchers highlighted.
Researchers marked that though the drop in blood pressure readings was small; it was significantly enough to establish that UVA exposure helped propel the decline.
The increase in nitric oxide levels further established the belief that exposure to UVA rays triggered upper layers of the skin to release the levels in the bloodstream. Raised nitric oxide levels caused the arteries to dilate.
But exposure to sunlight alone will not help control high blood pressure, study’s senior author, Dr. Richard B. Weller, a dermatologist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, warned.
“If you have high blood pressure to begin with, just standing in the sun likely won’t cure your woes. Getting sunlight is not enough if your blood pressure is high. And if you have high blood pressure you need to get it controlled,” he advised.
The findings of the study are reported in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

-COURTESY HEALTH NEWSLINE