Exposure to Blue and Ultraviolet Light, as in Sunlight, Could Boost Immunity

By Stav Ziv On 1/11/17

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center chose the start of yet another sun-starved winter to publish a study showing that exposure to blue light and ultraviolet light increases the movement of T cells, a key part of the immune system. Sunlight, therefore, could be an immune booster.

The researchers isolated T cells from human blood and mice and grew them in dishes in the laboratory. When they shined either UV or blue light on the cells, the cells became activated and moved more quickly. Although both UV and blue light increased the cells’ movement, focus was given to the potential benefits of blue light for two reasons: UV light is known to cause cancer, and it reaches only the outermost layer of skin, the epidermis. Blue light can reach deeper to the second layer, the dermis, where most of the skin’s T cells are located. If light could spur these immune cells to get to an infection more quickly, it could be leveraged via lamps to boost immunity and help treat skin diseases or even cancer.

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