Study: Exposure to light at night may cause diabetes
An unexpected surprise was revealed by a large study conducted on 85,000 people, as a team of scientists at Flinders University in South Australia found that exposure to light at night increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, regardless of daytime activities, according to the New Atlas website, citing the European journal The Lancet Regional Health.
The study’s lead researcher, Andrew Phillips, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University, said that “exposure to light at night can disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to changes in insulin secretion and glucose metabolism.”
He also noted that these changes could “affect insulin secretion and glucose metabolism caused by disrupted circadian rhythms and the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels, which could ultimately lead to type 2 diabetes.”
Using data from the UK Biobank, 84,790 participants who wore light sensors on their wrists for a week between 2013 and 2016 were evaluated after nine years.
The researchers found that there was a 67 percent greater risk of developing diabetes later in life. The scientists also found that the risk increased with the amount of time the body spent exposed to light, regardless of daytime behaviors.
The data supports the hypothesis that light suppresses or alters central circadian rhythms and puts them into an “abnormal phase,” which could also change how insulin is secreted and glucose is metabolized.
“For example, disturbed circadian rhythms of melatonin or glucocorticoids may produce elevated concentrations during waking hours, thereby reducing pancreatic insulin secretion and enhancing hepatic glucose production at times that coincide with mealtime,” the researchers explained.
The researchers added that these changes could "lead to persistent circadian misalignment and thus persistently high postprandial glucose levels, which initiate the development of type 2 diabetes by increasing the size and inflammation of fat cells, and thus promoting insulin resistance and the secretion of inflammatory markers such as interleukin-1β, which inhibits pancreatic beta cell function."
Shift work
While lifestyle and behaviors such as shift work and irregular sleep patterns affect the risk of diabetes, researchers took these factors into account and found that exposure to light between 12.30 a.m. and 6 a.m. was a major health problem.
They also naturally suggest limiting personal exposure to light between these hours, in an effort to keep circadian rhythms on track, which for many people is an easy way to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
“The results showed that exposure to bright light at night was associated with an increased risk of diabetes, with a dose-dependent relationship between light exposure and risk,” Phillips said.
He also pointed out that "reducing exposure to light at night and maintaining a dark environment may be an easy and inexpensive way to prevent or delay the development of diabetes."
Source : websites