Did you know that light therapy is a very popular and safe method of therapy that is beneficial for a number of things? It even helps to lose weight.

Let’s face it, we all want fat tummies. The media has made it out to be one of the most desirable physical attributes one can have. Hence, it is no surprise that everyone and their grandmothers are all into getting a flat tummy. It is important to recognize however that you cannot just spot reduce fat, you have to lose fat overall and throughout the body to lose fat in your belly. You cannot just do a thousand sit-ups every day and expect the belly fat to disappear. That is just not how weight loss and fat loss works. This is important to note here so that you do not fall into the trap of any false promises and that you know exactly what you need to do to get rid of excess fat from the body. The right way to go about this is to make the best use of proper dieting strategies and proper exercise techniques. Both of these two things have to work in tandem in order for you to lose weight and to also lose fat. 

We all want to maximize the benefits that we do get from our exercise routines. If losing fat is a goal you have, then Red Light Therapy (RLT) can really, really help you achieve those goals. There are a ton of benefits in undergoing Red Light Therapy and losing fat is just one of them. Below we will take a look at some studies that have highlighted exactly how RLT can help you in your weight loss journey. 

What Studies Say

The first study that we will be looking into had a sample of about 64 women who were obese and they were between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. These women were assigned to two groups randomly. One of the groups was the Exercise Training and Sham light group while the other group was the Exercise training group with Photobiomodulation. This particular study made use of laser light that was 808 nm in wavelength. It is important to note here that most experts do believe that we can get the same results with LED lights of the right wavelength and also power. In a lot of the studies that were conducted on the matter, LED lights performed just as well as laser light with lower levels. LED lights are a much cheaper alternative and are also much more readily available in the marketplace. 

After each exercise session, the participants were given light therapy. The study took place over a period of 20 weeks. The research participants had to exercise three times a week. Each of these sessions included both resistance training and aerobic training as well. 

After the 20 weeks were over, the results were astoundingly clear. The second group that was given Photobiomodulation in addition to their exercise routines had lost about double the fat than the other group. The group that was given photobiomodulation lost about twenty-five pounds of fat. This is very impressive since the group with sham light therapy only lost about twelve pounds of fat. The photobiomodulation group also noticed an increase in their muscle mass while the group with the sham light therapy actually noticed a drop in their muscle mass. 

This study clearly proves that light therapy when combined with the right kind of exercise can really help you lose weight and fat. As we have mentioned before, when you lose fat you lose it throughout the body and not just in one spot. So, light therapy can very definitely help you lose belly fat.

The other study that we are mentioning in this article, had a sample of 20 women who were in their postmenopausal phase. They were divided into two groups once again. One group was made to do about 30 minutes of exercise on the treadmill while being exposed to 850 nm of light. The other group did the same 30 minutes of exercise on the treadmill but they were not given the RLT. Both of the groups trained for a period of three months, twice a week. It may not come as a surprise by now but the group that was treated were noticed to develop more power and also they performed more in the 30 minutes of training they were assigned. Light therapy also has other benefits as some other studies have shown. These benefits include things such as performance and recovery as well and it was also proven to have remarkable results in reducing the appearance of cellulite. 

How Exactly Does Photobiomodulation Help Fat Loss

From the studies that we have mentioned above, it is clear that Red Light Therapy helps us to lose fat when it does in conjunction with exercise. But how exactly does it achieve these astonishing results? The best guess that mankind has to that question as of now is that it may be possible that RLT light causes the fat cells to get rid of their fatty lipids into the bloodstream. Once it is in the bloodstream, these fatty lipids can be burned off or it can be excreted, it is gotten rid off from the body. 

As we have clearly stated a few times in this article, one of the constants these studies had was that they all included a proper exercise routine. One of the reasons that may explain why this exercise was so effective is that may be that because some of the lipids that are in the bloodstream, they can be utilized for energy when the participants exercised. One last important thing to note is that while the lipid is released into the bloodstream, it does not adversely affect the lipid profile of the blood at all. Light therapy is an extremely safe therapy method and it does not pose any serious risks.