The Benefits of Red Light Therapy at 635 Nanometers
Are you curious about how red light therapy actually breaks down the fat cells? Are you wondering how something like light can possibly make a difference in the fat cells and whether or not there are other effects that contribute to fat loss?
This whole field of health is called photobiomodulation, which means the use of light to affect the body’s cells. Light vibrates at a certain frequency and when it activates the cells, it’s called photobiomodulation.
What is Light Therapy?
Light therapy consists of using different colored light for different health and wellness conditions and desired effects. Each color of the rainbow has its own wavelength, and the wavelength is even different for each band of color. Red light therapy could be various shades of red, and thus different wavelengths.
Here’s a chart of the colors of the rainbow and their different frequencies:
| Color | Wavelength |
| Red (end of the rainbow) | 700 |
| Red | 650 |
| Orange | 600 |
| Yellow | 580 |
| Green | 550 |
| Cyan | 500 |
| Blue | 450 |
| Violet (end of the rainbow) | 400 |
Once you know that red light is right around 650 nanometers, you can find out what happened in the research studies when different wavelengths were studied.
There have been two different red wavelengths that have been studied:
- 660 nm – This wavelength has been found to be effective for healing of burns, cosmetic issues, scars, and dermatological conditions.
- 635 nm – This wavelength doesn’t penetrate the skin too deep and is excellent for the breakdown of scar tissue and deep fat at the level of 6 cm.
The key fact to remember here if you are trying to lose weight is that the 635 nm wavelength goes right after fat cells and breaks them down.
Specifically, red light therapy at 635 nm activates an enzyme called cytochrome c oxidase, which opens the pores in fat cells. The fat cells then deflate like a balloon. Now that the fat is circulating around in the bloodstream, your goal is to burn the fat. It’s at this point that exercise or a keto diet will burn the fat and it will be gone permanently.
Cytochrome c oxidase is an enzyme that is used in the breakdown of carbohydrates for energy from the foods that you eat. It’s not used until the end of the Krebs cycle pathway when the end products arrive at the mitochondria of the cell. In this final stretch of energy production, there’s a chain of events that occur, highly dependent on cytochrome c oxidase.
Other Effects of Red Light Therapy on the Body
Red light therapy has several other positive benefits on the body. It modulates inflammation, increases nitric oxide production which increases circulation, enhances relaxation and improves sleep. It lowers stress as well, and when stress hormones are low, that’s when you can get the best results with weight loss. Red light therapy also helps reset the circadian rhythms in the body so you can feel more in charge of your life.
Red light therapy has been gaining popularity in the last few years because it’s a type of therapy that doesn’t take long, doesn’t make you sweat yet offers exercise benefits, and isn’t very costly. Sessions are usually 10 to 20 minutes long.