New Delhi, January 9 (IANS). According to a study, daylight can help improve metabolic health, which can lead to better glycemic control in people suffering from type 2 diabetes.
Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) in Switzerland and Maastricht University in the Netherlands found that people who were exposed to natural light had blood glucose levels in the normal range for more hours during the day, and had less variation.
Additionally, their melatonin levels – the sleep hormone – were slightly higher in the evening, and fat oxidative metabolism also improved.
This study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, provided the first evidence of the beneficial effect of natural light on diabetics.
“It has been known for many years that disturbances in circadian rhythms play a major role in the rise of metabolic disorders, which affect an increasing proportion of the Western population,” said Charna Dibner, Associate Professor at UNIGE.
For the study, the team recruited 13 participants aged 65 and older, all with type 2 diabetes.
They spent 4.5 days in specially designed living spaces with large windows providing natural or artificial light. After a break of at least four weeks, they returned for a second season in a different lighting environment.
To better understand the positive changes seen in the body’s metabolism, scientists took blood and muscle samples from volunteers before, during, and after each light treatment.
They analyzed the regulation of the molecular clock in cultured skeletal muscle cells along with lipids, metabolites, and gene transcripts in blood.
Overall, the results clearly show that the internal clock and metabolism are affected by natural light.
“This may lead to better blood sugar regulation and better coordination between the brain central clock and the organ’s clock,” Dibner explained.
–IANS
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