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FAQ: Artificial Light at Night and Heart Disease Risk
TL;DR
Reducing nighttime light exposure offers a health advantage by lowering heart disease risk through decreased brain stress and arterial inflammation.
The study used PET/CT scans and satellite data to show artificial light increases brain stress activity and arterial inflammation, raising heart disease risk.
Reducing light pollution creates healthier communities by decreasing heart disease through lower stress and inflammation for better public health.
Nighttime light exposure triggers brain stress that inflames arteries, revealing how modern lighting habits directly impact cardiovascular health.
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Higher levels of exposure to artificial light at night were linked to increased stress-related activity in the brain, inflamed arteries, and a higher risk of heart disease in adults.
The study found that artificial light exposure increases brain stress activity and blood vessel inflammation, which are biological pathways that can lead to heart disease development.
The study was conducted by researchers including senior author Dr. Shady Abohashem from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and will be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans.
Every standard deviation increase in light exposure was associated with about 35% and 22% increased risk of heart disease over five- and ten-year follow-up periods, respectively.
The study included 450 adults from Boston without pre-existing heart disease or active cancer, using PET/CT scans to measure brain stress activity and arterial inflammation.
Nighttime light pollution is a nearly universal feature of modern cities and represents a modifiable environmental factor that could help reduce heart disease in communities with higher levels of nighttime light.
This is a research abstract presented at a scientific meeting that has not been peer-reviewed, and the findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal.
Yes, the associations remained after accounting for traditional risk factors and other socio-environmental exposures like noise pollution and socioeconomic status.
Heart risks were higher among participants who lived in areas with additional social or environmental stress, such as high traffic noise or lower neighborhood income.
Over a 10-year follow-up period, 17% of participants had major heart conditions.
Curated from NewMediaWire
