Study Spotlights a NEW Alzheimer’s Risk Factor
The best way to beat Alzheimer’s is to stay ahead of it.
Certain risk factors are out of your control… like your age or family history.
But there are MANY other risk factors that you can influence. These include lifestyle choices such as diet, weight, and activity level.
More recently, researchers have added a NEW risk factor to the list.
And it just so happens that I’ve warned you about this one for years.
In a study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, researchers identified a NEW risk factor for Alzheimer’s:
Light pollution.
To determine if light at night impacted Alzheimer’s, the researchers analyzed satellite data on light pollution and compared them to the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in those locations.
Their results revealed that light pollution was indeed a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
In fact, their results showed that light pollution was a more significant risk than three other well-known risk factors: alcohol abuse, chronic kidney disease, and heart failure.
The connection was the strongest in those with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, a more aggressive form of the condition that occurs in people under 65.
When I read a study like this one, I think, “Of course light pollution is bad for your brain!”
The bombardment of blue light at night throws off your circadian rhythm. Circadian disruption impacts your sleep, and poor sleep has consistently been tied to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
Not to mention that study after study shows that circadian disruption is linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s.
You can’t change the light pollution levels of your city, but you can definitely do something about it in your home.
Turn off lights and electronic devices after dark, and sleep in a room that’s as dark as possible. Use black-out shades if you need to.
Light pollution—or circadian disruption—is another Alzheimer’s risk factor that IS within your control.
P.S. “Light Threat” damages your thyroid.
SOURCE:
Voigt, R. M., Ouyang, B., & Keshavarzian, A. (2024). Outdoor nighttime light exposure (light pollution) is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 18, 1378498.
