We built the FlexBeam. Here's what the science found inside your cells.
The backstory
Before AriHelder, I was a co-founder of Recharge Health — a Norwegian company that created the FlexBeam, a wearable NIR device now used by over 100,000 people globally.
My co-founder Arjen Helder did the original PCB engineering and optical design. We built the hardware, the protocol, the science rationale — and then left to build something more focused.
When Recharge Health published this study in March 2025 — measuring direct mitochondrial function using FlexBeam — I read it with a very specific kind of attention. I know that device intimately. This is my honest reading of what it found.
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The study: a question nobody had asked properly before
Most red light research asks: do people feel better? This study asked something more precise: can we directly measure mitochondrial function in living human cells — and does that match how people actually feel?
Wearable Photobiomodulation & Mitochondrial Bioenergetics — Recharge Health, March 2025
A 30-day observational pilot. 20 participants. Measurements taken at Day 0, Day 15, and Day 30. Perceived fatigue tracked alongside actual cellular blood data — at the same time.
The measurement tool: meScreen™ assay
Originally developed for NASA. A finger-prick blood sample of living cells, stress-tested in a lab to measure directly:
- Mitochondrial energy reserve capacity
- Mitochondrial efficiency
- Reliance on glycolytic (emergency) backup pathways
- Oxidative stress and cellular stability
- Mitochondrial network integrity
Before this tool existed, getting this data required an invasive muscle biopsy. This was the first time it was used in a home-use NIR study — at three time points.
Two cohorts. Same device. Different biology.
10 participants had chronic fatigue or persistently low energy. 10 were performance-adapted athletes under regular training load. Both groups used FlexBeam at home, 6 days per week, four sequential 10-minute placements per session.
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What changed in people with chronic fatigue
The fatigue cohort showed consistent, biologically logical restoration at the cellular level:
- ~37% reduction in reported fatigue — matched by measurable cellular changes, not just placebo
- 15–30% increase in mitochondrial energy reserve capacity — cells stopped operating near exhaustion\
- 10–20% improvement in mitochondrial efficiency — less energy wasted just to function
- 10–20% reduction in reliance on glycolytic backup pathways — shift toward healthier metabolism
- Zero increase in oxidative stress — all improvements occurred without added cellular damage
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What changed in athletes
Athletes didn't show increased energy production. Their cells worked smarter:
- 10–20% reduction in mitochondrial energy waste — same output, produced more cleanly
- 15–25% lower reliance on emergency glycolytic energy — more clean aerobic mitochondrial function
- Stable total energy output — not artificially increased, just more efficient
- Zero suppression of training adaptation — recovery improved without blunting normal stress responses
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Why Day 15 matters more than Day 30
Most meaningful changes appeared by Day 15 — then stabilised. Not kept climbing. They held steady through Day 30.
This is the fingerprint of genuine biological adaptation, not stimulation. If the device was forcing energy production, you'd see continuous escalation with rising oxidative stress markers. That's not what happened.
Cells shifted to a healthier baseline early, then maintained it. That's a biological reset — not a drug effect.
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The mechanism: how light becomes energy inside your cells
- NIR penetrates tissue — 850–900nm wavelengths pass through skin and reach deep tissue. Physics, not marketing.
- Cytochrome c oxidase absorbs — This mitochondrial enzyme (Complex IV) is the primary chromophore for NIR. Over 50% of absorption at 800–850nm is cytochrome c oxidase.
- Nitric oxide displaced — In fatigued cells, NO inhibits this enzyme. Photons displace the inhibitor, unclogging the enzyme and restoring electron flow.
- ATP production increases — With the enzyme unblocked, mitochondrial membrane potential rises and ATP synthesis accelerates.
- Cascading effects — More ATP. Reduced oxidative stress. Lower inflammation. Improved microcirculation. Cells run cleaner.
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The broader picture: this study isn't alone
UCL / University of London (2024)
15 minutes of 670nm red light before a glucose challenge reduced blood sugar elevation by 27.7% in 30 participants. Mechanism: mitochondria demanded more glucose, stabilising the metabolic response. Published in the Journal of Biophotonics.
850nm NIR and nitric oxide (ScienceDirect, 2024)
In 18 healthy subjects, 850nm NIR released twice as much nitric oxide from skin as 660nm red light. NO drives vasodilation, blood flow, and tissue repair. The difference was measured in real time via chemiluminescence detection.
Randomised controlled trial: NIR in intensive care (2024)
A randomised, triple-blind, sham-controlled trial — the gold standard of clinical evidence — found that red/NIR LEDs reduced ICU length of stay and improved muscle function. Published in the Journal of Biophotonics.
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What this means for the Helder 2
The FlexBeam study validated the biology. The Helder 2 delivers the same wavelengths — in a focused, high-irradiance stationary device designed for daily 20-minute sessions.
We don't cite this study to claim the Helder 2 replicates these results. We cite it because Arjen and I built the original device and understand exactly what was measured. The biology is real.
- 10.47W total optical output — independently verified by OHSP instrument
- 88% NIR at 856nm — the cytochrome c oxidase absorption peak
- 62 mW/cm² irradiance at 20cm design distance
- 30° beam angle per LED die — focused delivery, not scatter
No claims. Just light. Lots of it.
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