Learn how nighttime light pollution can cause Alzheimer’s disease
A recent study has found a connection between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and outdoor nighttime light pollution. The study was conducted by researchers at Rush University Medical Center, USA.
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, eventually causing a person to lose the ability to perform even the simplest everyday tasks. The National Institutes of Health says that for most people with the disease (those with late-onset symptoms), the first symptoms appear by their mid-60s. “Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease occurs between ages 30 and 60 and is very rare. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults.”
For the study, researchers analyzed light pollution maps from all 48 continental U.S. states and used medical data on variables known or believed to be risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease in their analysis. They generated nighttime intensity data for each state and divided it into five groups, from lowest to highest nighttime light intensity.
Researchers have found that nighttime light pollution is more strongly linked to the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in people under 65 than other risk factors such as alcohol abuse, chronic kidney disease, depression and obesity. Other risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke, were more strongly linked to AD than light pollution.
The researchers also found that higher nighttime light intensity was associated with a higher prevalence of AD than any other risk factor examined in the study for people younger than 65 years.
The researchers said this suggests that younger people may be particularly sensitive to the effects of light exposure at night. While it is not clear why younger people are more vulnerable, it could be due to individual differences in light sensitivity.
Dr. Robin Voigt-Zuwala, first author of the study and associate professor at Rush University Medical Center, said, “Certain genotypes, which influence early onset of Alzheimer’s disease, affect response to biological stressors, which may explain increased vulnerability to the effects of nighttime light exposure. In addition, younger people are more likely to live in urban areas and have lifestyles that may increase light exposure at night.”
Dr Voigt-Zuwala added: “We have shown that there is a positive association between the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and exposure to light at night, particularly in people under 65 years of age. Nighttime light pollution, a modifiable environmental factor, may be an important risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.”
Researchers hope their findings can help educate people about the potential risks of light at night and encourage lifestyle changes to prevent the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other debilitating conditions.
“Awareness of this association should enable people, particularly those with risk factors for Alzheimer’s, to make simple lifestyle changes. Some easy-to-implement changes include using blackout curtains or sleeping with eye masks. This is especially helpful for those living in areas with high light pollution,” said Dr Voigt-Zuwala.
The researchers also highlighted that light exposure inside the home could be just as important as light exposure outside. While this study did not look at the impact of indoor light, the researchers said that blue light has the biggest impact on sleep, and therefore using blue light filters, switching to warm light, and installing dimmer switches in the home can effectively reduce light exposure.
(With contributions from agencies)
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