Light therapy has shown promise in everything from helping burn wounds heal faster to killing tumors and helping guide antibodies to their cancerous targets. Now, the next in its beam looks to be the heart.

A University at Buffalo study on older mice found that photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy could slow down cardiovascular aging and significantly delay the onset of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.

Nearly 20% of Americans over 65 have diagnosed heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the US.

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“The idea was to see if intervention in middle age could enable people to avoid further age-related heart deterioration,” said Praveen Arany, associate professor of oral biology in UB School of Dental Medicine, who collaborated with Dr Edward G Lakatta of the National Institute on Aging, on the research.

Read more: New Atlas