Get out in the sunshine, it’ll lower your blood pressure, prevent heart disease and it may even help you live longer. And not just because of Vitamin D. Sunlight stimulates the production of nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.
May 7, 2013 in Health News at MedicalXpress.com
Researchers have shown that when our skin is exposed to the sun’s rays, a compound is released in our blood vessels that helps lower blood pressure.
The findings suggest that exposure to sunlight improves health overall, because the benefits of reducing blood pressure far outweigh the risk of developing skin cancer.
The study has been carried out by the University of Edinburgh.
Heart disease and stroke linked to high blood pressure are estimated to lead to around 80 times more deaths than those from skin cancer, in the UK.
Production of this pressure-reducing compound – called nitric oxide – is separate from the body’s manufacture of vitamin D, which rises after exposure to sunshine. Until now it had been thought to solely explain the sun’s benefit to human health, the scientists add.
The landmark proof-of-principle study will be presented on Friday in Edinburgh at the world’s largest gathering of skin experts.
