Blue light at night increases candy consumption in rats

Blue light at night increases candy consumption in rats

New study shows only one hour of exposure to blue light at night – the type of light produced by the screens of our many devices – increases blood sugar levels and increases sugar intake in male rats . This study, led by Anayanci Masís-Vargas and colleagues from the universities of Strasbourg and Amsterdam, was presented this week at the Society's annual conference for the study of Ingested Behavior (SSIB) in Utrecht , in the Nederlands.

Previous research has shown a strong correlation between obesity and artificial light levels at night. Much of the artificial light to which we are now exposed comes from LED lamps and LED screens, which emit a large amount of blue light. The retinal cells of the eye are sensitive to this blue light and directly transmit information to areas of the brain that regulate appetite.

In their study, Masís-Vargas and colleagues exposed rats to night blue light and measured their food intake and glucose tolerance the next day. It should be noted that, to better model human exposure to light, the rats used in this study were diurnal, that is, awake during the day and asleep at night, rather than rats. Typical nocturnal labs that are awake at night. The authors found that after only one hour of nocturnal exposure to blue light, glucose tolerance was altered in male rats, a forerunner of diabetes.

To study what is happening with appetite control and food selection after blue light exposure at night, rats were given the opportunity to choose between a nutritionally balanced food (standard food for rodents), water, lard and sugar water. After being exposed to blue light, they found that male animals drank more sugar that night than during nights without exposure to blue light.

These studies clearly show that exposure to light, especially blue light, the night is disturbing and that the use of a screen at night can increase our tendency to nibble sweet foods and disrupt our ability to process this sugar, especially in men. Although the rats were tested only after a night of exposure to light, this could, over time, lead to weight gain and the development of diabetes.

"Limiting the time we spend in front of the screens at night is, for the moment, the best measure to protect us from the harmful effects of blue light.In the event that it would be necessary to be exposed to the devices at night I would recommend the use of apps and features of the night mode on devices, which make the screens more orange and less blue, or the use of Google glbades filtering blue light already available on the market. "Masís- Vargas says.

###

Quote of research:
Acute exposure to blue light at night impairs glucose tolerance, alters insulin secretion, and increases sugar consumption in a daytime rodent. Anayanci Masís-Vargas, 2.3 years old, David Hicks1, Andries Kalsbeek2.3, Jorge Mendoza1

1 Light, Vision and Brain Team, Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience Strasbourg, France, 2 Hypothalamic Integration Mechanisms, Dutch Institute of Neuroscience Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 3De Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Amsterdam UMC Amsterdam, Netherlands

Presented in July 2019, Society for the Study of Ingested Behavior, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Contact:

Jorge Mendoza, PhD

[email protected]

03 88 45 66 96

This story was published on: 2019-07-09. To contact the author, please use the contact information in the article.

comments

We use a third party service, called Disqus, which allows our visitors to post comments on our website. Due to the number of comments, we do not moderate or review comments posted on our website.