Mice that were exposed to constant light put on extra weight - could the same be true for humans?
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WASHINGTON: Too much light at night appears to lead to weight gain, according to an American study of mice, by changing eating patterns.
The researchers found that mice exposed to a dim light at night over eight weeks had a weight gain that was about 50% more than other mice that lived in a standard light-dark cycle.
"Although there were no differences in activity levels or daily consumption of food, the mice that lived with light at night were getting fatter than the others," said Laura Fonken, lead author of the study and a researcher at Ohio State University.
Could light affect metabolism?
The study, which appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the weight gain could be a sign that light has an effect on the metabolism.
"Something about light at night was making the mice in our study want to eat at the wrong times to properly metabolize their food," said Randy Nelson, co-author of the study and professor of neuroscience and psychology at Ohio State.
If these results are confirmed in humans, it would suggest that late-night eating might be a particular risk factor for obesity, Nelson said.
In one study, mice were housed in one of three conditions: 24 hours of constant light, a standard light-dark cycle that included 16 hours of light and eight hours of dark, or 16 hours of daylight and eight hours of dim light.
Dim light worse than darkness
Results showed that, compared to mice in the standard light-dark cycle, those in dim light at night had significantly higher increases in body mass, beginning in the first week of the study and continuing throughout.
By the end of the experiment, dim-light-at-night mice had gained about 12 grams of body mass, compared to eight grams for those in the standard light-dark cycle.
Mice in constant bright light also gained more than those in the standard light-dark cycle, but Nelson said the mice exposed to dim light was a more important comparison for humans.
Although the mice exposed to dim light did not eat more than others, they did change when they ate, consuming more food at night.
I wonder what else?
This story is interesting. I wonder what else can affect our mental and therefore physical health?
Our physical environment is often overlooked, and we look at social factors. I find it surprising how people are surprised when I remark that maybe they are a little depressed because they work in a workplace with no windows and buzzing fluorescent lights!
Or have living rooms facing side boundary fences. Or dining areas in 'landlocked' areas of the house...