Researchers have uncovered a surprising predictor for type 2 diabetes: light exposure. In a new Flinders University study, professor Sean Cain and doctor Andrew Phillips have found the amount and timing of light we receive can significantly influence our risk of developing this chronic disease. Unhealthy light means getting too much or too little light at the wrong times of day.
Credit: Getty Images Human rhythms have evolved with the sun’s bright light and the night’s pitch black. The health effects of these light-triggered rhythms are profound, they say. “This ancient light detection system feeds into deep areas in our brain,” Cain says.
In those deep areas of our brain is the body’s master clock, which sets the time for the rest of our body’s systems to operate. Loading When we start to mess with our body clock by eating when our body expects rest or by being exposed to too much or too little light at the wrong times, it affects the health of our entire system. This means an increased risk of depression and other mental health conditions, as well as a greater likelihood of chronic diseases , infertility , and immune disorders .
“In animal models and even experimental models in humans, you can produce the symptoms of disease just by messing around with light-dark cycles and circadian rhythm,” says Cain. Previous research has linked shift work and poor metabolic function. Cain adds that our metabolism is sensitive to rhythm disruption.
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