Light at night may increase the risk of breast cancer
A recent study published in the journal ‘International Journal of Health Geographics’ showed that indoor and outdoor exposure to artificial lighting such as light-at-night (LAN), affects the breast cancer risk, particularly in premenopausal women and those with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.
Excess exposure to artificial LAN suppresses the nocturnal melatonin production in the pineal gland, which is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
The study was a systematic review of epidemiological evidence on the association between LAN exposure and breast cancer risk, using a dose-response meta-analysis to examine the shape of the relation. 17 eligible studies were retrieved, including ten cohort and seven case-control studies.
A positive association was found between the LAN exposure and breast cancer risk. However, the risk was similar for outdoor and indoor LAN exposure. A marginally stronger risks were observed for premenopausal women and for women with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.
Hence, the excessive exposure to artificial LAN increases the breast cancer risk, especially in premenopausal women and for women with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.
Source: Urbano T, Vinceti M, Wise LA, Filippini T. Light at night and risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Int J Health Geogr. 2021 Oct 16;20(1):44. doi: 10.1186/s12942-021-00297-7. PMID: 34656111.
Source link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34656111/
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