THAT’S WEIRD, I INITIALLY THOUGHT when I saw a recent study showing that making indoor lighting brighter during daytime hours (and dimmed in the evening) may confer cardiometabolic advantages.
Can we lower our blood sugar (glucose) levels by having exposure to bright indoor lighting during the day? Can we create indoor light conditions to mimic the natural light and dark cycle to help individuals at risk of developing metabolic diseases?
Light exposure and metabolism
Researchers from Maastricht University Medical Center (the Netherlands) performed a randomized clinical trial. They studied 14 overweight adults, ages 40 to 75. All of the participants met one of four criteria for insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance occurs when your fat, muscles, and liver cells do not respond appropriately to insulin and cannot use blood sugar (glucose) for energy. In response, the pancreas creates more insulin. With time, blood sugar levels rise.
Here’s the problem: Insulin resistance can cause serious health problems. These problems include high blood pressure, obesity, elevated cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. As many as one in three Americans are affected by metabolic syndrome.
