According to a study, street lighting increases the risk of diabetes

Too much artificial light at night can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

More than 80 percent of people in the world are exposed to light pollution, such as B. Street lamps shining in the bedroom, car headlights and illuminated shops and stores.

A study has now shown that people in areas with a lot of artificial light have higher blood sugar levels at night and are less responsive to insulin – the hormone that regulates blood sugar.

The study of more than 98,600 people in China divided them into five groups, from those with the highest exposure to artificial light to those with the lowest.

The group most exposed to light pollution had 28 percent more diabetes than the least exposed group.

This was probably mainly type 2 diabetes, which accounts for the majority of diabetes cases.

People whose body clocks are disrupted by artificial light may be at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, which is associated with obesity and poor diet, due to effects on their hunger and physical activity or their metabolism and body temperature.

However, experts do not yet know if this is really the case and further research is needed.

The study, led by scientists at Ruijin Hospital, affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine in China, concludes: “Our findings add to the growing evidence that light at night is harmful to health, and points to nocturnal outdoor light as a potential new risk factor for diabetes.’

The study, published in the journal Diabetologia, uses satellite data that measures artificial lighting conditions without the sun and moon.

Researchers studied people living in 162 different areas before dividing them into five groups based on their light exposure.

The results indicate that for every 42 people living in the areas with the most light pollution, there was one extra case of diabetes that would not have occurred if those people lived in the areas with the least light pollution.

Diabetes rates were calculated by examining people who were diagnosed with diabetes or who had blood sugar tests that showed they had diabetes.

People in areas with more artificial light exposure at night had poorer beta cell function.

Beta cells in the pancreas are important and must function properly to produce insulin and control blood sugar levels.

Previous studies have linked high levels of artificial light at night to a greater likelihood of being overweight or obese, and there is evidence that it may increase the risk of breast cancer.

The authors of the study write: “People who live in cities are more likely to be thrown by nature’s 24-hour day/night cycle into a pattern of working around the clock, staying up late and being tired at night and be exposed to artificial light. .

“It is therefore essential to determine the extent of nocturnal artificial light that leads to or is associated with diabetes in order to implement effective prevention strategies.”

The study used data from the China Noncommunicable Disease Surveillance Study, which recruited people in China in 2010 and took blood tests to determine their health status.

The light intensity of the 20 percent of people with the highest light exposure was 69 times higher than that of the people with the lowest light exposure.

Commenting on the findings, Gareth Nye, senior lecturer at the University of Chester, said more work is needed to confirm that artificial light is a trigger for diabetes. Levels are likely to be those in urban areas and larger cities.

“It has long been known that living in an urbanized area increases the risk of obesity due to greater access to high-fat foods and ready meals, less physical activity due to transport links, and less social activities.”