Light-blocking curtains may reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease in people under 65
Recent studies have shown that various factors such as
Frontiers | Outdoor nighttime light exposure (light pollution) is associated with Alzheimer's disease
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2024.1378498/full
Light at night may increase your Alzheimer's risk, especially if you're under 65 - Scimex
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/light-at-night-may-increase-your-alzheimers-risk-especially-if-youre-under-65
Lead Alzheimer's Risk For Under-65s Could Be Reduced With Good Curtains : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/lead-alzheimers-risk-for-under-65s-could-be-reduced-with-good-curtains
Street lights and road lighting that illuminate outdoors at night bring benefits such as crime prevention, ensuring road safety, and improving scenery. On the other hand, the increase in light that does not exist in nature is causing serious problems such as light pollution , which can interfere with astronomical observations and have adverse effects on health and ecosystems.
In the United States, some states have enacted laws to reduce light pollution, but many areas still have high levels of artificial light at night. Therefore, a research team from Rush University Medical Center in Illinois, USA, studied the relationship between artificial light at night and the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The research team created a 'light pollution map' for 48 states in the United States, dividing areas into five groups based on the intensity of light at night. They then analyzed data on medical records and known risk factors for Alzheimer's disease from the same areas to see if there was a link between light pollution and the risk of developing Alzheimer's.
The analysis found that the incidence of Alzheimer's disease in people aged 65 and over was statistically significantly associated with nighttime light pollution. Light pollution was more strongly correlated with the onset of Alzheimer's disease than risk factors such as alcohol abuse, chronic kidney disease, depression, and obesity. Meanwhile, risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke were more strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease than light pollution.
Furthermore, night-time light pollution was found to be more strongly associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than any other risk factor in people under 65, suggesting that younger people may be particularly sensitive to night-time light exposure.
'Our results suggest that nighttime light pollution, a modifiable environmental factor, may be an important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease,' said Robin Vogt-Zwara, lead author of the study and associate professor at Rush University Medical Center. 'Our findings suggest that nighttime light pollution is a modifiable environmental factor, and may be an important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.'
It is unclear why nighttime light is associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer's, but it is possible that exposure to light at night disrupts sleep and circadian rhythms, or that genotypes associated with early-onset Alzheimer's increase vulnerability to nighttime light exposure. Younger people may also be more likely to live in urban areas and have lifestyles that make them more susceptible to nighttime light exposure.
'Recognizing this association should make it easier for people to make lifestyle changes, especially if they have risk factors for Alzheimer's,' said Vogt-Zwalla. 'Some easy changes to make include using blackout curtains and sleeping with an eye mask, which is especially helpful for people who live in areas with a lot of light pollution.'
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