Summary
Exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts circadian rhythms and clock gene expression, which are mechanistically linked to increased cancer risk through cell cycle dysregulation. Lighting designers and healthcare facilities should prioritize maintaining bright days and dark nights, using strategies to minimize nighttime light exposure as a cancer risk mitigation measure.
Key Findings
- ALAN is associated with increased incidence of cancer, metabolic disorders, and mood disorders in populations of industrialized nations with widespread electric lighting adoption.
- Core clock genes (e.g., CLOCK, BMAL1, PER, CRY) interact directly with cell cycle regulators, and disruption of these genes contributes to oncogenesis.
- Review concludes that maintaining high daytime light exposure and minimizing nighttime light exposure are key mitigation strategies for circadian-disruption-related health risks.
- No specific quantitative effect sizes were reported in the abstract; this is a narrative review synthesizing foundational science and clinical literature.
Categories
Sleep & Circadian Health: Reviews how artificial light at night disrupts circadian organization, melatonin suppression, and core clock gene fidelity.
The Science of Light: Describes molecular mechanisms linking light exposure, circadian clock genes, cell cycle regulation, and oncogenesis.
Author(s)
WH Walker, JR Bumgarner, JC Walton, JA Liu
Publication Year
2020
Number of Citations
80
Related Publications
Sleep & Circadian Health
- Phototransduction by retinal ganglion cells that set the circadian clock
- The mammalian circadian timing system: organization and coordination of central and peripheral clocks
- The two‐process model of sleep regulation: a reappraisal
- Melanopsin is required for non-image-forming photic responses in blind mice
- Strange vision: ganglion cells as circadian photoreceptors
The Science of Light
- Phototransduction by retinal ganglion cells that set the circadian clock
- Color appearance models
- The mammalian circadian timing system: organization and coordination of central and peripheral clocks
- Diminished pupillary light reflex at high irradiances in melanopsin-knockout mice
- Melanopsin is required for non-image-forming photic responses in blind mice