Light at night and diabetes risk

We studied personal light exposure patterns and incidence of type 2 diabetes using 13 million hours of light sensor data and 670,000 person-years of prospective observation. We found that type 2 diabetes risk was higher in people exposed to brighter night light, and in people exposed to light patterns that disrupt circadian rhythms. We found that light behaviours had an influence that was independent of genetic risk. So, those with an increased genetic risk of developing diabetes can reduce that risk with healthier light behaviors.

Avoidance of light at night could be a simple and cost-effective way to reduce the risk of developing diabetes, even in those with high genetic risk.

Click on the picture for a link to our open access paper.