Invited Commentary: Nighttime Light Exposure as a Risk Factor for Obesity Through Disruption of Circadian and Circannual Rhythms

In this issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, McFadden et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2014;180(3):245-250) report findings on the relationship between light exposure at night and obesity from a cross-sectional study of United Kingdom women. Their research extends findings from a previous study wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAmerican journal of epidemiology Vol. 180; no. 3; pp. 251 - 253
Main Author GANGWISCH, James E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cary, NC Oxford University Press 01.08.2014
Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
Subjects
Biological and medical sciences
Circadian rhythm
Epidemiology
Exercise
Female
General aspects
Humans
Light
Medical sciences
Metabolic diseases
Miscellaneous
Obesity
Obesity - physiopathology
Other metabolic disorders
Photoperiod
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Risk assessment
Weight
United Kingdom > UK
Endocrinopathy
Human
Obesity
Night
Nutrition disorder
Metabolic diseases
Cardiovascular disease
Photoperiod
Circadian rhythm
Metabolic syndrome
circadian rhythms
Epidemiology
light at night
Sleep
Light
Risk factor
Female
Woman
Public health
circannual rhythms
metabolic syndrome
sleep
obesity
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Summary:In this issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, McFadden et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2014;180(3):245-250) report findings on the relationship between light exposure at night and obesity from a cross-sectional study of United Kingdom women. Their research extends findings from a previous study with elderly participants by including a larger sample size of over 100,000 women and a broader age range of 16 years or older. The findings are consistent with animal studies showing that prolonged light exposure leads to weight gain. Humans' circadian, circannual, and metabolic regulatory systems evolved to be adaptive in environments that were quite different from those faced in modern industrial society. Technology has allowed exposures to levels and timing of light, nutrient intake, and physical activity never before possible. This commentary discusses how nighttime light exposure can increase the risk of obesity and the metabolic syndrome by disrupting circadian and circannual rhythms.
ISSN:0002-9262
1476-6256
DOI:10.1093/aje/kwu119