Clinical outcomes of intravenous laser irradiation of blood in reducing inflammatory processes in obesity: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: In the setting of hematologic diseases, Intravenous Laser Irradiation of Blood (ILIB) at a wavelength of 630-640 nm was developed to treat several diseases. Studies have shown that ILIB acts directly on the parameters of all blood cells, the state of the plasma, and all structural components of the vascular wall. Furthermore, by acting on cells of the immune system, hormones, and exchange processes, ILIB can influence all other systems of an organism. Objective: This was to conduct a systematic review to present the main clinical outcomes of using ILIB in restoring blood fluidity and reducing inflammatory processes. Methods: The systematic review rules of the PRISMA Platform were followed. The search was conducted from April to May 2025 in the Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo, and Google Scholar databases. The quality of the studies was based on the GRADE instrument, and the risk of bias was analyzed according to the Cochrane instrument. Results and Conclusion: Ninety-four articles were found. A total of 25 articles were evaluated and 08 were included in this systematic review. Considering the Cochrane tool for risk of bias, the overall assessment resulted in 35 studies with high risk of bias and 19 studies that did not meet GRADE. Most studies showed homogeneity in their results, with X² = 87.2% >50%. It was concluded that ILIB causes systemic effects, with improvements in blood rheological properties and microcirculation, as well as reduction in infarction area, cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. ILIB can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and is also effective in relieving oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in patients with comorbidities or injuries. ILIB has shown an important role in reducing and controlling blood pressure in humans. Furthermore, patients with stroke may benefit from ILIB. Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels can be reduced, as well as corrections of immune disorders have been achieved with the use of ILIB compared to drug therapy alone.