A 2025 rodent study investigated effects of far-infrared light on Alzheimer’s disease models. I’ll focus on its Nrf2 findings:

“Far-infrared radiation (FIR) is commonly utilized as a complementary treatment of a range of disease, for example, insomnia and rheumatoid arthritis. In this research, we explored how FIR light impacts cognitive functions of TgCRND8 AD mice and elucidated its underlying molecular mechanism.

Infrared radiation is a form of electromagnetic energy that has wavelengths between 750 nm and 1000 μm, which are longer than visible light. International Commission on Illumination categorizes infrared light as three sub-divisions according to the wavelength: (1) near-infrared radiation (0.7–1.4 μm), (2) middle infrared radiation (1.4–3.0 μm), and (3) far-infrared radiation (3.0–1000 μm).

Nrf-2/ HO-1 signaling, a key endogenous antioxidant system, helps mitigate oxidative stress and enhances expression of various endogenous genes. Activation of HO-1 during inflammatory conditions may serve as an adaptive response to reduce cytotoxicity through various mechanisms.

In this study, we applied EFFIT LITE® as the FIR spectrum transmitter which stably radiates an FIR spectrum with a wavelength of 4–20 μm, and the device was put within 1 cm directly above the head of the 3-month-old TgCRND8 mice for 30 min exposure once every day. FIR light notably enhanced cognitive function and spatial memory of TgCRND8 mice after 28-days consecutive treatment.

Underlying molecular mechanisms involve suppression of Aβ deposition, hyperphosphorylation of tau, and neuroinflammation through modulating Jak-2/Stat3 and Nrf-2/HO-1 pathways. Our current experimental findings amply indicate that FIR light is a potential non-pharmacological therapy for AD.”

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12017-025-08860-2“Far-Infrared Radiation Ameliorates the Cognitive Dysfunction in an Alzheimer’s Disease Transgenic Mouse via Modulating Jak-2/Stat3 and Nrf-2/HO-1 Pathways”

This study measured Nrf2 and its quickly-induced downstream enzyme HO-1 effects of daily far-infrared light exposure for 30 minutes. We’d have to see measurements of Nrf2’s more-slowly induced and longer-lasting downstream xenobiotic detoxifying enzyme NQO1 to compare far-infrared light Nrf2 activation effects with those of natural plant compounds.