(NewsNation) — A new study concludes that there is a link between high levels of light pollution and Alzheimer’s disease. And the brighter the lights, the stronger the link.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago analyzed the relationship between the prevalence of Alzheimer’s and people’s exposure to nighttime outdoor artificial light, commonly known as light pollution.
The authors say that light pollution is more strongly associated with AD prevalence than the already-known risk factors of alcohol abuse, chronic kidney disease, depression, heart failure and obesity. However, light pollution is not as strongly linked to AD as atrial fibrillation, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and stroke.
They also compared the places in the continental U.S. with the highest levels of light pollution to those with the highest prevalence of AD.
Most states east of the Mississippi River scored high in both categories. Florida, New Jersey and Connecticut were the highest.
Some recent studies have suggested that AD is on the decline, but it may be because we’re doing a better job of treating risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes. As those factors decline, the authors recommend that research should focus on examining the influence of environmental factors such as light pollution.
“While data from preclinical studies and the current study suggest exposure to light at night may influence AD, additional studies evaluating clinical and population health are needed,” the authors conclude.
The study was based on AD data from 2012 to 2018 supplied by the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It also used light intensity data from satellites and did not include data involving indoor light exposure, including TVs, computers and phones.