Going Outside for your Mitochondria

As spring nears and there already has been some better weather, we will do well focusing on spending more time outside as a means to improve our health. For many years, I thought some of the most studied benefits of being outside related to simply vitamin D production from the sun, as well as improving mood in cases of those who may suffer from seasonal affective disorder.

However, since COVID, there has been quite a bit a renewed interest in other mechanisms of how light therapy, including being outside, can improve markers such as inflammation as well as energy production within the mitochondria.

Light therapy, in particular infrared energy, affects our circadian rhythm and helps our mitochondria to function optimally. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell; they are the engine that drives energy production. Sometimes engines are prone to "overheating" and can suffer from oxidative stress. This ultimately impairs their ability to generate normal amounts of energy efficiently.

This is a common problem in most chronic illnesses.

One of the ways our body copes with and adapts to the oxidative stress is to increase our antioxidants. We can think of this as "coolant" for the engine, or a good quality oil that allows the energy engine to function with less damage.

Melatonin is one of our body's most powerful antioxidants. We know melatonin mainly in the context of sleep support. It is produced in the pineal gland in the dark, in the night, and this can not only serve as a product to help us stay asleep but also can be sent to the mitochondria to help protect them during sleep.

Melatonin mops up the oxidative stress, and this is important not only in the evening but especially during the day when we are active. It turns out that while daylight decreases pineal gland melatonin, infrared radiation from the sun increases melatonin production within the mitochondria. This has already been proposed as a mechanism for some of the benefits seen in red light therapy, as described in this study. A 2023 summary of melatonin's action as well as its relation to infrared radiation is published here.

We should note that the mitochondria are very susceptible to oxidative damage, and usually need to be protected on a much more consistent basis. In other tissues, often oxidants are needed (for example many immune cells).

Melatonin's action on helping the energy generation process and the mitochondria is multifold: in addition to helping the mitochondria within healthy cells and protecting them, it can actually stimulate transfer of mitochondria from healthy cells to damaged cells.

The sun is our major source of infrared energy - with just over 50% of the energy from the sun being this infrared radiation. Near infrared radiation (NIR) has a wavelength of between 760-1400 nm.

This infrared radiation contrasts with the UV energy of the sun, which is responsible for vitamin D production by the skin - less than 10% of the sun's energy received by earth is UV energy.

Outside time is important. The power of the sun is difficult to reproduce with other sources, but some targeted lights can make a difference. The power of light energy can be measured in lux with 1 lux being 1 candle power. A typical living room may be 50 lux, but even on an overcast day, outside would measure ~ 1000 lux. Full daylight would be 10 000 - 25 000 lux, and direct sun is 32 000 to 130 000 lux.

In treatment, you generally aim for 10 000 lux for circadian rhythm issues, which might be 30 min outside on a cloudy day. Circadian rhythm issues include sleep / wake cycles, cortisol problems, and to a certain extent, possibly seasonal affective and mood issues. In seasonal affective disorders, some data targets 3000 lux for 4 days showing an effect. Some studies on other mood disorders show that 7000 luc for 15 min to 60 min improved symptoms.

In a study titled # Cardiopulmonary and hematological effects of infrared LED photobiomodulation in the treatment of SARS-COV2 300 LED lights at the infrared wavelength of 940 nm were arranged in roughly a 1 foot by 2 foot array - with a total power of 6 W for 15 min - over the chest and abdomen of COVID patients. The control group had the same vest, but it was not turned on.

The study had the following results reported:

Post-treatment, the LED group showed a reduction in hospital discharge time and a statistically significant improvement for the following cardiopulmonary functions: Partial Oxygen Saturation, Tidal Volume, Maximum Inspiratory, and Expiratory Pressures, Respiratory Frequency, Heart Rate, and Systolic Blood Pressure (_p_ < 0.05). Regarding blood count, it was observed that post-treatment, the LED group presented with significant differences in the count of leukocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes.

The rough amount of near infrared energy delivered and absorbed by this vest was equivalent to 1 hour outside in the day.

Red lights and infrared lights can be expensive, but if we are able, getting outside for an hour is a good option as well.