BEIJING: A new study has found that sleeping in a room with artificial light from outside at night may increase the risk of developing diabetes.
A study of 100,000 people in China found that people living in areas affected by light pollution at night were about 28 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those who lived in less polluted areas.
More than 9 million cases of diabetes among people aged 18 and older in China are attributable to nighttime light pollution, researchers said in a study published in Diabetologia on Tuesday. As people move towards cities, this number will increase.
Urban light pollution is so widespread that it can affect suburbs and forested parks tens or hundreds of kilometers away, the authors said.
Dr. Phyllis Zee of the University of Chicago’s Feinberg School of Medicine, who was not part of the research, said that this research supports the effects of nighttime light on metabolic functions and diabetes risks, such as those revealed in earlier studies Confirms potential side effects.
