Obesity mediates the association of outdoor artificial light at night with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Mar 20, 2026iScience

Outdoor artificial light at night is linked to type 2 diabetes partly through obesity

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Abstract

A total of 38,108 participants were recruited to investigate the association of outdoor artificial light at night (ALAN) exposure with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Outdoor ALAN exposure is positively associated with T2DM and fasting plasma glucose (FPG).
Increased ALAN is negatively associated with insulin levels and insulin sensitivity as measured by HOMA-IR and HOMA-β.
Per-quartile increases in ALAN show effect sizes of 1.24 for T2DM and 0.14 for FPG.
Certain demographics, including the elderly, men, smokers, and those with lower education or physical inactivity, may be more vulnerable to adverse health effects from ALAN.
Obesity measures such as waist circumference and body fat percentage mediate the association between ALAN and T2DM, with mediation proportions ranging from 22.33% to 36.41%.

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This study aims to explore the association of outdoor ALAN exposure with T2DM and the mediating effects of obesity in Chinese rural adults. A total of 38,108 participants were recruited from the Henan Rural Cohort. ALAN was positively associated with T2DM and FPG, and negatively associated with insulin, HOMA-IR, as well as HOMA-β, and the effect sizes of per-quartile increase in ALAN were 1.24(1.19, 1.28), 0.14(0.13, 0.16), -1.19(-1.24, -1.14), -0.22(-0.25, -0.20), and -27.30(-29.11, -25.48), respectively. The elderly, men, current smokers, individuals with lower education or income, or physical inactivity were more vulnerable to ALAN-related adverse health effects. The associations of ALAN with T2DM and glucose metabolism were mediated by WC, BMI, WHtR, WHR, VFI, and BFP, with estimated mediation proportions of 36.41%, 25.14%, 33.98%, 22.33%, 24.39%, and 25.85%, respectively, for T2DM. These findings emphasize the need for targeted public health interventions for reducing ALAN-related adverse health effects in rural areas.

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Obesity mediates the association of outdoor artificial light at night with type 2 diabetes mellitus

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