Does light at night pose a health risk?

Conclusion This opinion piece discusses the evidence related to whether exposure to electrical light night is a health risk. Much of the article considers various experimental studies where small numbers of participants were exposed to different light levels at night, as well as observational studies reportedly linking night-shift work with cancer, including breast and colon cancer. The researchers also identified some studies linking self-reported or measured light in the bedroom with depression and obesity. But this study has two prominent limitations. It does not appear to have been a systematic review. No methods are provided, and we do not know whether the researchers have searched the entire global literature on the subject to identify all relevant studies. We also do not know whether studies linking light at night with disease could have been preferentially discussed as examples, while other studies that did not find any links were either not identified or not discussed in this review. As such, this review must largely be considered to be the opinion of the researchers as informed by the evidence they looked at. The second limitation is the strength and quality of the evidence linking light exposure at night to disease. Most of the experimental studies discussed, where people were exposed to different light levels at night, were very small (one included 12 people, another eight). These results are specific to the small sample included. This means they may be hea...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Cancer Source Type: news