Dear Acapulco 2024,
Yes. Your friend is right and is upfront with the latest health news. A study published in The Lancet found that people who were exposed to the most light between 12:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. were 1.5 times more likely to develop diabetes than those who remained in darkness during that timeframe. This study used the data from 85,000 participants from the UK Biobank, and is the largest to date linking diabetes risk to personal light exposure at night. The said study was based on the light that was received by the participants for a week from all sources – whether from sunlight, lamps, streetlights, or digital screens, and they were then tracked for eight years.
So, how does the light at night increase Diabetes risk? Light at night can disrupt the circadian rhythm or your body’s internal 24-hour cycle. And experts have long known that circadian rhythm is important for all kinds of biologic processes in our body, which includes how our body manages blood sugar. Our internal clock regulates our food intake, sugar absorption, and the release of insulin. And if this circadian rhythm is not regulated well, this is associated with insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
Moreso, the sleep hormone melatonin manages our glucose and our insulin responses. So if you’re always getting light exposure at night, the level of melatonin is reduced and, this will lead eventually to poor metabolic outcomes.
I believe interventional studies are needed to confirm whether strategies like powering down screens, turning off lights, or using blackout curtains could really reduce diabetes risk. And we’ll take it from there.
Good luck!
-Dr. Fritz
(Dr. Fritz Legarde Espedilla is an aesthetic dermatologist, surgeon and clinical sexologist. She is also trained in hypnotherapy and Medical Acupuncture. She has been in the broadcast media for more than a decade and has written a book based on her 15-year stint with her radio program, “Healthy is Sexy Secrets ni Dr. Fritz.”. For your questions, you may send them to Dear Dr. Fritz, c/o Sunstar-Davao Publishing Inc., Door 11, Ebro-Pelayo Building 1, Juan Luna St., Barangay 29-C, Davao City, or you e-mail them to dokatlaw@gmail.com. If you don’t wish your letter to be published, we regret that we cannot answer them. Thank you for your understanding.)
