It’s no secret that studies link excessive screen time to obesity and various psychological problems. Research recently published in Frontiers in Drosophila at OSU suggests that our basic cellular functions may be affected by blue light issued by our equipment.
“Excessive exposure to blue light from everyday devices such as televisions, laptops, and cell phones can have adverse effects on many types of cells in our body,” said Jadwiga Giebultowicz, Ph.D., professor in OSU’s Department of Integrative Biology and senior author of the study. From skin and fat cells to sensory neurons. “We are the first to demonstrate that the levels of specific metabolites — chemicals necessary for cells to function properly — are altered in fruit flies exposed to blue light,” he added. ”
“Our study suggests that avoiding excessive exposure to blue light may be a good anti-aging strategy,” suggests Giebultowicz.
Oregon State University researchers previously demonstrated that fruit flies exposed to light turned on stress protection genes, and that flies kept in constant darkness lived longer.
According to Giebultowicz, “To understand why high-energy blue light accelerates aging in fruit flies, we compared metabolite levels in flies exposed to blue light for two weeks to those in complete darkness.”
The results of the study showed that exposure to blue light caused significant differences in the levels of metabolites measured from the head cells of Drosophila. Specifically, levels of the metabolite succinate were found to be increased but levels of glutamate were decreased.
“Succinate is essential for generating fuel for the function and growth of every cell. The high concentration of succinate after exposure to blue light can be compared to gas that is in the pump but not in the car,” explains Giebultowicz. “Another disturbing finding is that Molecules responsible for communication between neurons, such as glutamate, were at lower levels after exposure to blue light. ”
The changes seen in these findings documented by the team suggest that cells are operating at suboptimal levels, which can lead to premature death, which could also explain their previous findings that blue light accelerates aging.
“LEDs have become the primary lighting for display screens such as cell phones, desktops and televisions, as well as ambient lighting, so people in developed societies are exposed to blue light through LED lighting for most of their waking hours. Signals in Drosophila and Human Cells chemical substance is Likewise, blue light can therefore have a negative effect on humans”, explains Dr. Giebultowicz.
Dr. Giebultowicz concluded: “We used fairly strong blue light on fruit flies – humans are exposed to lower levels of light, so the cell damage may be less severe. The results of this study suggest that future research involving human cells is needed. research to determine to what extent Metabolites involved in energy production may undergo similar changes when human cells are overexposed to blue light. ”
Like anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please consult your physician or primary care provider before changing your health habits.