Exposure to sunshine may slow down weight gain as well as the development of type 2 diabetes scientists say, as indicated with their experiments on mice.

The scientists from Edinburg, Southampton, and Australia have published their studies in the journal Diabetes. They reported that shining UV light on overfed mice made them gain less weight than they would normally gain.

Like Us on Facebook

Initially, they thought that the Vitamin D the body produces in response to sunlight was the cause of it. However, it proved to have little to no effect on the reduced weight gain.

While the research is interesting and may have implications that can translate to humans, they say that they first need more tests first.

Mice, as opposed to humans, are nocturnal creatures who are mostly covered in fur and are not really exposed to amounts of sunlight.

After the exposure though, the mice also showed fewer warning signs of type 2 diabetes. The signs were the abnormal glucose levels and insulin resistance which was not seen in the mice.

Instead of Vitamin D, the scientists linked the effects to the amount of nitric oxide that the skin releases after the exposure to sunlight.

When the scientists applied a cream with the same compound, it had the same effect on the mice.

Senior lecturer of dermatology at the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Richard Waller, said that epidemiology studies showed that people who seek the sun live longer than those who spend most of their lives in the shade.

He cautions balance though, as skin cancer that people get when having too much can easily take one's life.

Lead author Dr. Shelley Gorman said that casual exposure to sunlight, together with plenty of exercise and a healthy diet, may help prevent the development of obesity in children.

The team will continue on experimenting, seeing if the results on mice will also work on humans. 

TagsSunlight, Mice, weight gain, Type 2 diabetes