Red Light Therapy

What is Red Light Therapy? Red and near infrared (NIR) light therapy, often simply referred to as “red light therapy”, is a type of therapy that uses specific wavelengths of light to bring about positive health benefits. This form of phototherapy uses wavelengths of light that are considered bioactive in humans.

People use red light therapy to improve skin quality, speed wound healing, stimulate hair growth, reduce chronic pain, and improve workout recovery times. Studies indicate that red light therapy’s effects occur due to the stimulative effect that red and NIR wavelengths of light have on mitochondria, the energy center of the cells.

Red Light Improves Cellular Energy Production

The best-studied mechanism of action surrounding red and near-infrared light therapy is the stimulation of mitochondrial energy production in the cells. Mitochondria are tiny organelles (organs within a cell) that produce all of the energy that our cells and our bodies ultimately need. Red light therapy is thought to primarily cause its positive effects by helping the mitochondria create more energy.

All molecules and atoms absorb very specific wavelengths of light. The specific molecule within the mitochondria that is thought to absorb red and near-infrared light is a chemical called cytochrome C oxidase. Cytochrome C oxidase plays an absolutely essential role in transferring electrons down an electrochemical gradient in mitochondria called the electron transport chain.

The electron transport chain is what drives the synthesis of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is a complex organic molecule that is considered the “currency” of energy in the body. While biological energy is derived from sugar, the energy in sugar would damage cells if it was all used at once. Mitochondria use a chemical reaction called the Krebs cycle to generate charged molecules. These charged molecules then pass through the electron transport chain, ultimately resulting in the synthesis of ATP.

Red light therapy is ultimately thought to improve the efficiency and speed of the electron transport chain, improving the availability of ATP in the cells and throughout the body. This increased energy is what is thought to provide the many benefits that red light therapy is used for.