A study published in the most recent journal of the American Heart Association suggests that UVA exposure lowers blood pressure — a finding that adds to the list of non-vitamin D-related medical benefits associated with sun exposure.

“UVA irradiation of human skin caused a significant drop in blood pressure — even at moderate UVA doses,” the study, authored by a university research group from Germany and The Netherlands, reported.

The research team reported that UVA released a form of Nitrous Oxide in the skin that triggered a process that lowers blood pressure.

“In conclusion, here, we give evidence that whole body UVA irradiation NO-dependently decreases blood pressure of healthy volunteers,” the team wrote in its conclusions. “These findings reveal the impact of light as an environmental parameter contributing to the phenomenon of “French paradox” and thus might have potential for the therapeutic applications in diseases with hypertension.”

The journal article, published in the journal “Circulation” is available on-line by clicking here.