Alert! Exposure to blue light at night increases the risk of colorectal cancer!

Previous studies have found a link between nighttime exposure to artificial light, especially blue light, and various adverse health effects, including sleep disorders, obesity, and an increased risk of various types of cancer, especially among night shift workers.
blue light is the visible spectral range emitted by most white LEDs as well as many tablet and phone screens.
earlier study by ISGlobal found a link between nighttime exposure to blue light and an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer.
, their study found that blue light may increase the risk of colorectal cancer.
In the same way as previous studies, we decided to analyze the relationship between exposure to artificial light and colorectal cancer, which is the third most common cancer after lung and breast cancer," explains Manolis Kogevinas, coordinator of the study, published in Epidemiology.
The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classes night shifts as potentially carcinogenic to humans; The
authors analyzed data from about 2,000 adults in Barcelona and Madrid obtained through the MCC-Spain project, 660 of whom had colorectal cancer, the rest were randomly selected from the local population and had night work experience excluded, while images from the International Space Station (ISS) were used to determine the level of artificial light outside at night.
Night View of the International Space Station in Madrid (provided by NASA's Geosciences and Remote Sensing Team) from both cities showed that participants who were most exposed to blue light had a 60 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer than those who were less exposed, and no correlation was found to be associated with full-spectrum light.
Exposure to light at night, especially blue spectroscopic light, reduces the production and secretion of melatonin and is associated with the intensity and wavelength of light," explains Kogevinas.
"Because blue light exposure levels are estimated by satellite imagery, the calculation does not take into account individual behaviour, such as the use of scrolls, which is common in Spain and other Mediterranean countries.
therefore, blue light exposure estimates can be interpreted as the amount of light that people are exposed to when they go out and in their homes before closing blinds and going to bed.
attention is increasingly being paid to the effects of light on ecosystems and human health," commented Kogevinas, a government spokesman.
research on the potential effects of lighting is still in its infancy, more needs to be done to provide reliable, evidence-based advice to prevent adverse consequences.
" Reference: Garcia-Saenz et al., Association between outdoor light-at-night exposure and colorectal cancer in Spain (MCC-Spain study). Epidemiology. July 2020. DOI: 10.1097/EDE.00000000000001226 Source: Translational Medicine Network !-- Content Presentation Ends - !-- Determines whether login ends.