Science & Studies

The Science Supporting Red Light Therapy for Weight Loss

Does Red Light Therapy work for weight loss? Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of using red light therapy (often referred to as low-level laser therapy, or LLLT, in journal articles) as a weight loss tool.

  • A study [20] published in 2012 in The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology followed a randomized, double-blind study where people were given three weekly LLLT treatments on their arms for two weeks. Those in the control group showed almost no change, while those getting the treatment showed a combined reduction in arm circumference of 3.7cm.
  • A 2012 study [21] published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine built on earlier research and used 689 participants. This study verified that LLLT reduced the circumference of the waist, hips, and thighs by an average of 3.27 inches after six weeks of treatment. The study also addressed a concern from previous studies, showing that the effects were due to a reduction of fat tissue, not to the redistribution of fluid or tissue.
  • Another study, [22] published in Obesity Surgery, used testing that compared a test group and a control group that were specifically instructed not to change their diet or exercise habits. Following four weeks of treatment, the control group's abdominal girth was reduced by 2.15cm, almost an inch, while there was no meaningful change in the control group.
  • A 2013 study [23] published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine studied 86 participants who had just finished receiving body contouring of the waist, hips, and thighs using only red light. The study found that the treatments resulted in an average circumference reduction of 3.0 inches.
  • One of the earlier studies [24] into red light therapy for weight loss was published by Lasers in Surgery and Medicine in 2009. This study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study trial that examined circumference changes after two weeks of treatment. The study showed an overall reduction in total circumference across all three sites of 3.51 inches.
  • Published in The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, a 2016 study [25] followed 54 patients from two private dermatology practices using red light therapy. The average decrease in combined circumference reduction at six weeks was 5.4 inches. 81% of the people receiving treatment reported that they were Satisfied (27%) or Very Satisfied (54%) with the aesthetic results of their treatments.
  • A small study [26] in 2017 was published in the Journal of Lasers in Medical Sciences. This study followed 18 women using six weeks of LLLT and found that all 18 people experienced abdominal girth reduction following treatment.
  • A recent study [27] in 2020 was published in Lasers in Medical Science and explored how treatments should be arranged. 60 participants considered overweight received treatment either 1) three times weekly for four weeks, 2) twice weekly for six weeks, or 3) once weekly for 12 weeks. The group that received two treatments weekly for six weeks showed the greatest change out of the three groups.
  • A 2012 study [28] published in the International Journal of Endocrinology demonstrated that using red light therapy in the morning helps to regulate levels of leptin and ghrelin, especially when someone is sleep deprived. Both leptin and ghrelin influence hunger and food intake; regulating these levels can help to improve weight management. 
  • A study [29] published in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery in 2017 compared 28 people using red light therapy for four weeks with a control group of 25 people that used a placebo. The study followed them during the study and for two weeks afterward, finding that the treatments led to a reduced circumference in the participants’ hips, waists, and upper abdomens.
  • In 2015, a study [30] was published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine and used a controlled study with 64 participants to demonstrate that using red light therapy in addition to exercise improved weight loss efforts. This study also demonstrated positive metabolic effects for a population group with metabolic impairments. 
  • A 2023 study [31] published in Scientific Reports used a randomized, controlled study design to evaluate the effects of red light therapy on an obesity-related condition. While the goal of the study was not to specifically address weight itself, it did successfully demonstrate that using red light therapy treated coagulation problems associated with obesity, providing potential health benefits for those who are overweight in addition to promoting weight loss.
  • An important study [32] published in Lasers in Medical Science in 2016 proposed that red light therapy impacted weight loss by facilitating the movement of lipids rather than by destroying fat cells. This study also found a high rate of side effects when using a red light therapy device designed to attach directly to the skin and noted decreased efficacy when a smaller area was exposed to the light source.
  • A Lasers in Medical Science study [33] published in 2022 evaluated and contrasted 15 different studies examining red light therapy as a weight loss method. This meta-analysis found that this therapy showed promise as a low-risk and effective method of achieving localized fat reduction. The study also found that existing research did not show that red light therapy had a meaningful effect on lipid levels in the blood. The researchers also pointed out, however, that this may not mean that red light therapy does not affect lipid levels and could be due to the small sample sizes of existing studies.
  • Another meta-analysis published in 2021 [34] in Advances in Obesity, Weight Management & Control found that existing research shows that red light therapy has “considerable promise” as a treatment method for obesity. The same study also found that red light therapy could be especially beneficial as a treatment option for conditions associated with obesity, such as inflammation or diabetes.
  • In 2018, a study [35] was published in Lasers in Medical Science that followed four months of red light therapy treatments, carefully monitoring fourteen different parameters. While both the treatment and control groups experienced positive changes over the study period, the red light therapy group demonstrated a greater degree of change than the control group. Additionally, the treatment group demonstrated a reduction in interleukin-6 and an increase in WNT5 signaling, two biomarker changes that did not occur in the control group.
  • The Journal of Physical Therapy Science published a study [36] in 2017 that demonstrated reductions in abdominal circumference, abdominal fat percentage, fat mass, and body mass index when a red light therapy belt was used to supplement exercise efforts. This study was controlled and showed that red light therapy could offer benefits as an exercise augmentation tool.
  • A 2016 study [37] published in BMC Obesity found that red light therapy augmented weight loss that occurred when using lorcaserin, a weight loss drug that has since been removed from the market due to safety risks. While lorcaserin is no longer used as a weight-loss medication, this study did demonstrate that using red light therapy coupled with a weight-loss medication can be more effective than using a weight-loss medication by itself.
  • A Lasers in Medical Science article published in 2015 presented a study [38] following the effects of red light therapy in obese adults undergoing aerobic plus resistance training. The study showed that using red light therapy reduced levels of inflammatory biomarkers and augmented weight loss efforts.  
  • One older study [39], published in 2002 by Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, used low-powered red light lasers to treat tissue samples of fatty tissues removed during liposuction. This study demonstrated that the use of the treatment resulted in adipose cells (cells that store fat) releasing almost all the fat they contained, causing them to deflate. This early study was instrumental in supporting further experimentation in the use of red light therapy to promote weight loss.
  • Research [40] published in 2015 in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B used a controlled methodology to show that red light therapy not only augmented exercise-based weight loss efforts but also resulted in a decreased risk of cardiometabolic risk. The researchers suggested that red light therapy could be used to not only augment weight loss, but it could also help to reduce the risk associated with being overweight during these efforts.

The Science Supporting Red Light Therapy for Chronic Pain

Every molecule absorbs specific wavelengths of light. Plants use this effect to capture sunlight and use photosynthesis to produce energy; retinal cells use this effect to detect light and send signals to the brain to create sight; and skin cells use this effect to absorb ultraviolet light and use the energy to create vitamin D.

Red light therapy is thought to work by creating wavelengths of light absorbed by a chemical called cytochrome C oxidase. [12] This chemical is found in mitochondria - small organs found in almost every cell. Cytochrome C oxidase plays a vital role in helping the mitochondria produce energy, and using the red and infrared wavelengths of light that red light therapy uses is thought to improve mitochondrial function. The mitochondria play a key role of inflammation [13]. Promoting good mitochondrial function could help them to reduce inflammatory signaling and help to reduce inflammation.

In addition to stimulating cytochrome C oxidase, red light therapy is also thought to enhance melatonin production [14] in cells. This melatonin does not enter the bloodstream like the melatonin that promotes sleep but is thought to remain within the cell. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant, and the effects of stimulating melatonin production may play an important role in how red light therapy could suppress inflammation.

  • In 2020, a study [35] was published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology examining red light therapy for colitis in mice. Colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the colon. The study found that red light therapy inhibited mediators of inflammation and showed potential as a possible method for treating colitis.
  • In 2021, a study [36] published in Communicative & Integrative Biology demonstrated that the use of red light therapy effectively suppressed TLR-4 dependent inflammation, a type of inflammation commonly associated with severe COVID-19 infections. While the study didn’t directly study red light therapy in COVID-19 patients, it may potentially lead to red light therapy-based COVID-19 treatment options in the future.
  • In 2022, a study [37] published in Scientific Reports examined the effects of red light therapy on brain inflammation that was deliberately induced in lab mice. The research showed that red light therapy resulted in the modulation of neuroinflammation by suppressing glia cell activation and reducing ​​pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemicals that can cause inflammation in the brain.
  • Another study [39] in 2022, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, reviewed many other studies on the effects of red light therapy on neuroinflammation. This large-scale study found that red light therapy has anti-inflammatory properties in several conditions. The researchers suggested red light therapy could help treat traumatic brain injury, edema formation and hyperalgesia, ischemia, neurodegenerative conditions, aging, epilepsy, depression, and spinal cord injury.

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