Researchers find connection between Alzheimer’s and night time light pollution

NEW DELHI — A team of US researchers on Friday said that they have found a connection between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and night time light pollution from the outdoors.

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center, US have found that night time light pollution is more strongly correlated with the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in people aged under 65, than other risk factors like alcohol abuse, chronic kidney disease, depression, and obesity.

 “We show that there is a positive association between AD prevalence and exposure to light at night, particularly in those under the age of 65. Nightly light pollution – a modifiable environmental factor, may be an important risk factor for AD,” said Dr Robin Voigt-Zuwala, Associate Professor at Rush University Medical Center.

Other risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke, were more strongly associated with AD than light pollution.

However, for people under 65, higher night time light intensity was associated with a greater AD prevalence than any other risk factor.

This could be due to individual differences in light sensitivity and lifestyles in urban areas.

 “Awareness of the association should empower people – particularly those with risk factors for AD – to make easy lifestyle changes. Easy to implement changes include using blackout curtains or sleeping with eye masks. This is useful, especially for those living in areas with high light pollution,” noted Dr Voigt-Zuwala.

The researchers hope that their findings can help educate people about the potential risks of light at night and encourage lifestyle changes to prevent the onset of diseases like Alzheimer’s and other debilitating conditions.