Tip How Sunlight Shrinks Your Fat Cells Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Alpha Life Tip How Sunlight Shrinks Your Fat Cells by Mike T Nelson, PhD May 23, 2020July 19, 2022 Tags Health & Longevity, Living Better Imagine you just stepped out of your time machine after being transported back to Muscle Beach in its prime. You arrive to spot the likes of Vic Tanny, Joe Gold (of Gold's Gym fame), Jack LaLanne, Steve "Hercules" Reeves, Jack Delinger, and later, Dave Draper or even Arnold with his friends. They were all hanging out and lifting outside instead of being inside a commercial gym. Did they know something special about sunlight? Fast-forward to modern bleeding-edge research from Dr. Peter Light who's been investigating the effects of light on fat cells, or what researches call adipocytes (1). When the researchers subjected fat cells in a dish to blue light, it caused an increased glycerol release and reduced lipid droplet size. Yep, that means the fat cells got smaller. This is from an increased rate of fat being broken down (lipolysis) or reduction in the free fatty acids and glycerol backbone being reassembled, known as fatty acid re-esterification. In addition, smaller fat cells are healthier since large fat cells are associated with increased insulin resistance and inflammation (2, 3). "When the sun's blue light wavelengths – the light we can see with our eyes – penetrates our skin and reaches the fat cells just beneath, lipid droplets reduce in size and are released out of the cell. In other words, our cells don't store as much fat," wrote Dr. Light (4). It's not a double-blind randomized controlled trial in lifting bros, but it is super fascinating. Maybe the old-school Muscle Beach lifters were onto something. Ondrusova K et al. Subcutaneous white adipocytes express a light sensitive signaling pathway mediated via a melanopsin/TRPC channel axis. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):16332. PubMed. Henninger AMJ et al. Adipocyte hypertrophy, inflammation and fibrosis characterize subcutaneous adipose tissue of healthy, non-obese subjects predisposed to type 2 diabetes. PLoS One. 2014 Aug 22;9(8):e105262. PubMed. Kim JI et al. Lipid-overloaded enlarged adipocytes provoke insulin resistance independent of inflammation. Mol Cell Biol. 2015 May;35(10):1686-99. PubMed. Young, L. Reduced sunlight may contribute to winter weight gain. University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. January 10, 2018. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Alpha Life Tip What Erections Tell You About Your Health Boners are a better predictor of future health than smoking, high blood pressure, or diabetes. Here's why. Health & Longevity, Living Better, Testosterone Optimization, Tips TC Luoma November 4 Alpha Life It s Time to Segregate Our Gyms Pretend CrossFitters and functional training boneheads have invaded our gyms. Let's send them back to where they belong. CrossFit, Opinion, Strong Words TC Luoma July 26 Alpha Life The Problem with Fitness Influencers Social media is both a blessing and a curse, especially when it comes to fitness influencers. Here's what to watch out for. Opinion, Powerful Words Tanner Shuck March 5 Alpha Life 7 Pros One Controversial Question We asked pro bodybuilders, doctors, and coaches one blunt question. Their answers may surprise you. Bodybuilding, Opinion, Strong Words T Nation August 25