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Sunlight is vital for all living organisms, including plants and mammals. Plants use light to produce oxygen in the environment, while mammals need it for vitamin D production, vision, and circadian rhythm. In essence, living things need light to survive. But what about light produced by living organisms?

Light produced by organisms has become a topic of interest as it relates to health and wellness. Optogenetics, the study of genetic and light sciences, has brought about the development of synthetic therapeutics directed at light-sensitive cells that can be manipulated to support immunity and prevent disease. This is possible because light activates signaling pathways, thus controlling light-sensitive cellular activities. Another area of study, biophotonics, is the study of how light interacts with living materials. Although these topics are increasingly being studied, there is still much to be explored to understand how light impacts health, disease, and food quality.

What are biophotons?

If you’ve ever come across a firefly or have had the opportunity to view glowing algae at night, you observed the phenomenon of bioluminescence. Bioluminescence is an ultra-weak photon emission that occurs from a specific biochemical reaction in some organisms, such as fish, insects, algae, and fungi. While mammals don’t produce this visible glow, they do emit biophotons, which are a weaker version of bioluminescence.

Biophotons are spontaneous light emissions that occur within living organisms that assist with communication, signaling, growth, and differentiation. DNA is thought to be a source of biophotons. By providing information about what’s happening inside an organism, biophotons may serve as indicators of aging, disease development, and mental health. What’s more, biophotons may shed more light on the implications of environmental exposures, microbial infections, food quality, and gender on long-term health. They may also help us understand more about infections and diseases.

Biophotons were first measured in the 1950s with the development of the photon multiplier tube, making it possible to determine weak light emissions. Now, biophoton measurements are taken via infrared, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy. It is considered an effective, non-invasive technique for measuring free radical production.

Aging, oxidative stress, and chronic disease

Biophotons are produced within the body and have the potential to be measured because they radiate weak light emissions from the skin. They are produced from energy metabolism and oxidative stress processes. Other internal factors that affect emissions include brain activity, diurnal rhythms, and disease states (i.e., diabetes, protoporphyria, stroke, and common colds). External factors include ultraviolet radiation, cigarette smoke, ozone/air pollution, and seasons. As such, biophoton emissions could be used for assessing free radical production and aging, especially as it relates to oxidative stress and the development of chronic diseases.

The storage of light in cells and the ability to emit biophotons is an important action (i.e., stimulator) in normal cells. However, as human cells age or become affected by disease, they lose the ability to store light and begin to increase their biophoton emissions. Increased production of biophotons may occur, in part, by the accumulation of cellular toxins or debris. Increased biophoton emissions have also been observed in rheumatoid arthritis and cancer (conditions that produce too much light) and multiple sclerosis (condition that consumes too much light).

Biophotons in food

Beyond health applications, biophotons are relevant in the discussion of food quality. Food quality and freshness can be measured from biophoton emissions. When measured, biophotons can even be used to determine the shelf-life of food products along with quality assurance. They may detect possible pathogens, structural changes, and contaminants that would otherwise make us sick if eaten. Biophotons in food may also predict nutritional value. Ripe produce has high nutritional value and is generally lower in biophotons.

The biophoton content, and subsequent food quality, are affected by several factors. Issues such as flavorings, color additives, packaging, farming methods, storage, pesticide use, and growth hormone usage affect the quality of foods we eat. When food is processed and heated, nutrient content declines, along with the bioavailability of nutrients. This is especially true of polyphenol content, though this largely depends on the type of food, how it is prepared, and how long it is cooked. Because non-ripe produce is often irradiated to ripen, free radical production and biophoton emissions increase, potentially affecting the nutritional value of that food.

Effects of meditation, acupuncture, and reiki

Because oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several chronic diseases, its reduction is a topic of interest. Biophoton reduction is a potential therapeutic strategy in instances of increased levels of oxidative stress. Notably, practices of meditation, imagining, and intentional/conscious thought reduce biophoton emissions, and thus, oxidative stress. Studies show that individuals who meditate regularly have reduced levels of biophoton emissions. Regular practice of transcendental meditation and other meditation techniques have been found to decrease emissions by 27% and 17%, respectively.

Some studies have explored the connection of acupuncture with biophotons. The present theory suggests that acupuncture points throughout the body may provide important communication channels (i.e., Bonghan ducts), through which light flows. Biophotons are potentially the energy carriers that assist with health promotion in this healing modality.

Reiki, or “biofield therapy,” is considered a healing strategy via the communication of energetic channels throughout the body. It has been found to alleviate stress and pain related to disease. However, this therapy and its effectiveness are difficult to measure. Interestingly, biofield therapy has been demonstrated to increase biophoton emissions in the palms of practitioners performing the treatment. Moreover, people who receive reiki treatments tend to emit more biophotons from specific locations in the body. A possible explanation for these observations is the power of intention.

Conclusion

Light is undoubtedly important for life, and biophoton emission measurements may become more widely used in the assessment of health, therapeutics, and food quality. Before beginning nutrition and lifestyle practices to reduce biophoton emissions, talk to your doctor, nutritionist, dietician, or another member of your healthcare team for personal options based on your individual circumstances.