Sunlight may play a role in the prevention of obesity or metabolic syndrome.
In a new study, mice were fed high calorie diets in order to make them gain weight. Some of these mice were exposed to UV lights in order to mimic the sun. These mice experienced a decreased amount of weight gain as well as less impairments towards insulin resistance and blood glucose levels.
Further testing revealed that these effects were largely due to an increase in nitric oxide levels that resulted from exposure to the UV light.
Conclusions
Although too much sun exposure can be harmful to one’s skin, there is a substantial amount of evidence supporting the benefits of regular sun exposure towards other aspects of health. This study provides more proof that sun exposure can indeed provide major benefits.
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