Sex-specific association of exposure to bedroom light at night with general and abdominal adiposity in young adults

Experimental animal studies and limited epidemiologic evidence among elder population suggest that exposure to light at night (LAN) may be obesogenic. Nevertheless, little is known about the possible impact of bedroom LAN exposure on subsequent adiposity and the distribution pattern of the accumulated fat, especially in younger population. Here, we estimated longitudinal associations of objectively assessed bedroom LAN exposure with general and abdominal adiposity among young adults. We measured 2-night bedroom LAN exposure using a portable illuminometer in a cohort of young adults (n = 482). Body composition using multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis was evaluated at baseline and 1-year follow-up visit. Significant increases in fat mass (2.4 kg, P = 0.015 in male; 1.9 kg, P < 0.001 in female), visceral fat area (10.7 cm(2), P < 0.001 in male; 5.0 cm(2), P = 0.01 in female), waist circumference (3.8 cm, P = 0.039 in male; 2.5 cm, P = 0.047 in female) and percentage of body fat (3.6%, P = 0.002 in male; 3.0%, P = 0.001 in female) were observed among individuals with bedroom LAN higher than 5 lx. Compared to the lowest quartile group of bedroom LAN exposure, the highest quartile group was associated with an increase of 0.64 kg/m(2) in BMI (95% CI: 0.18-1.09 kg/m(2); P = 0.006) and 1.22 kg increase in fat mass (95% CI: 0.10-2.34 kg; P = 0.025) among female participants, and 10.58 cm(2) in visceral fat area (95% CI: 4.85-16.31 cm(2); P = 0.001) and 2.59 cm in waist circumference (95% CI: 0.37-4.81 cm; P = 0.023) among male participants. In this cohort of Chinese young adults, significant associ-ations were observed between bedroom LAN exposure and adiposity in a sex-and fat depot-specific fashion. Further intervention and longitudinal studies could help elucidate the actual effects and develop sex-specific strategies against lifetime obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Automated summary

The study found significant associations between bedroom light exposure and adiposity among young adults, especially in terms of gender and fat depot-specific patterns. Further research and interventions are needed to understand the actual effects and develop sex-specific strategies for combating obesity and related metabolic disorders throughout one's lifetime.