Artificial Light At Night Can Raise Diabetes Risk, Says Study

According to a recent study, increased rates of diabetes are associated with outdoor artificial light at night (LAN).

Researchers have discovered that increased exposure to artificial nighttime lighting may increase the chance of developing diabetes, according to the Telegraph. The body's capacity to regulate blood sugar levels is compromised by artificial light exposure at night because it changes the human body clock. Street lights, automobile headlights, storefront lights, and the light from cellphones and tablets are all examples of potentially hazardous lights.

According to the Telegraph, "the research was based on almost 100,000 men and women in China who were exposed to artificial light while it was dark outside. Those exposed the most were 28 percent more likely to develop the metabolic condition because of the interference the light had on the body's production of melatonin - the hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythms. Evidence is growing that 24/7 lifestyles are wreaking havoc with our health by interfering with the production of melatonin."

Chronic exposure to residential outdoor artificial light was linked to a rise in glucose levels, insulin resistance, and diabetes prevalence.

People who lived in areas of China with high light pollution at night were about 28% more likely to develop diabetes than people who lived in the least polluted areas, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Diabetologia.