Blue light emitted by gadgets such as smartphones is associated with a variety of health problems, from obesity to psychological problems. Dr. Jadwiga Giebultowicz, an integrative biologist at Oregon State University, explains: The cells affected range from skin and fat cells to sensory neurons, she explained.
Dr. Giebulowicz adds:
“Our research suggests that avoiding excessive blue light exposure may be a good anti-aging strategy.”
Dr. Giebultowicz and colleagues have shown in previous work that stress-protective genes are ‘turned on’ when fruit flies are exposed to light.
In contrast, those placed in the dark appear to live longer.
Dr. Giebulowicz said:
The team found that exposure to blue light altered the levels of metabolites measured in Drosophila head cells.
Specifically, they found that succinate levels increased, but glutamate levels decreased.
Dr. Giebulowicz said:
“High levels of succinic acid after exposure to blue light can be compared to gas in the pump but not in the car.
“Another disturbing finding was that molecules responsible for communication between neurons, such as glutamate, were at lower levels after exposure to blue light.”
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Now that the initial studies have been completed, researchers are now investigating whether the same phenomenon also affects human cells in the real environment.
Dr. Giebulowicz explains:
“Humans aren’t exposed to that intense light, so the damage to cells may not be as dramatic.
“The results of this study will help human cells to establish the extent to which they may exhibit similar changes in metabolites involved in energy production in response to overexposure to blue light.” It suggests that future studies involving
The full findings of this study were published in Frontiers in Aging.
