Due to the nature of work, there are many of us who spend hours in the office sitting under bright fluorescent lights. Now we know that sitting all day is bad for you, but as it turns out sitting under artificial lighting, like those in offices, malls, restaurants, and etc. is equally bad, thanks to a new study that actually suggests that artificial light could be making us fat!
The findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and basically explores the connection between exposure to artificial light and obesity in humans. To test their theory, Patrick Rensen of Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands who co-led the study conducted an experiment using mice where they subjected these mice to 24 hours of artificial light, the same type of light we might find at home or the office.
They then had a control group of mice who were given 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. They injected the mice with radioactively tagged fats to monitor brown fat activity, along with how much the mice ate and how much they moved. The result? The mice exposed to 24 hours of artificial light gained a lot more weight in body fat compared to that of the control group, despite eating the same amount and exercising the same.
It’s an interesting study but we suppose at the end of the day, rarely do we find ourselves in such extreme environments. Let’s not forget that we can also act on our obesity by exercising more and choosing our foods more carefully, but hey even if you don’t believe this study, it won’t hurt to get out of the house or office once in a while for some good old vitamin D from the sun!
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