Spotlight on:
Sunlight and Cardiovascular Disease

Sunlight and Cardiovascular Disease

The hazards of staying out too long in the sun are well known – sunburn, increasing risk of skin cancer, skin ageing, to name a few. However, in vitro laboratory research from UKHSA (and independently researched by others), shows that some sunlight activates nitric oxide, a molecule in the skin known to reduce blood pressure (Liu 2014). High blood pressure affects around 25% of UK adults and is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease; therefore, strategies to alleviate this burden of disease are a key priority (PHE Guidance 2017).

Nitric oxide is a small molecule that is released in the skin after exposure to ultraviolet light (present in sunlight) and acts to expand the blood vessels in the body. This lowers blood pressure, thus reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The exact size of effect sunlight could have on cardiovascular health by this mechanism is unknown, however early clinical trials, epidemiological and laboratory data are supportive of this protective mechanism (Liu 2014, Pelegrino 2020, Weller 2020, Weller 2022).

Author: Paul O'Mahoney UKHSA Research Profile

(Image source: Lukas-Pexels.com)

Sunlight and the Impact on Blood Pressure

Recently published work by researchers at UKHSA has shown that low exposures to natural sunlight (around 10 minutes on a clear summer day) can expand blood vessels in vitro. Importantly, these doses of sunlight produced no detrimental effects to the cells. It may be possible to be protected against the harmful effects of sunlight while taking advantage of the benefits to our health that sunlight has to offer, though further work is needed to study these effects in humans. Research on this area continues under the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Chemical and Radiation Threats and Hazards and in collaboration with partner universities.

Further Reading:

Low-dose daylight exposure induces nitric oxide release and maintains cell viability in vitro Authors- Hazell, Khazova and O'Mahoney (2023).

Post-exposure persistence of nitric oxide up regulation in skin cells irradiated by UV-A, Authors- Hazell, Khazova Cohen, Felton and Raj (2022).

Ultraviolet radiation - induced production of nitric oxide: a multi-cell and multi-donor analysis, Authors - Holliman, Lowe, Cohen, Felton and Raj (2017).

Sunlight and the Impact on Blood Pressure

sunlight-cardio

Blood pressure monitoring (Image source: Thirdman-Pexels.com)

Other spotlights

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) New research at UKHSA focussed on developing new and exciting therapies against multi-drug resistance

Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) refers to the ability of infectious microbes to develop resistance to the drugs used to treat them, making our current range of treatments increasingly ineffective. Research at UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is focussed on discovering and developing new therapies against these multidrug-resistant pathogens.

The Burden of Disease caused by Damp and Mould in English Housing

The Burden of Disease caused by Damp and Mould in English Housing

Research led by UKHSA scientists working on indoor air quality found that there was a considerable burden of respiratory illness in England from residential damp and mould. This work has since fed into new government guidance on the health risks of damp and mould for the housing sector.

microphysiological systems.

Microphysiological Systems for Infectious Disease Modelling

Microphysiological systems (MPS) are experimental platforms that utilise human or animal cells grown in three-dimensions in specific microenvironments that aim to mimic the structure and function...

Covid-19.

COVID-19

UKHSA has contributed to the generation of knowledge and evidence of SARS-CoV-2 through research in a wide variety of topics from characterisation of the virus to behavioural aspects of the response...