Be Careful of Blue Light – Damage Increases With Age



A recent study from Oregon State University found that as people age, the negative effects of lifetime exposure to blue light from phones, computers, and home lights get worse.

The study, which was just released in Nature Partner Journals Aging, used the familiar fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Due to the fact that it shares cellular and developmental mechanisms with humans and other animals, Drosophila melanogaster is a valuable model organism.

The survival rate of flies maintained in darkness and then moved to an environment of constant blue light from light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, at progressively older ages was investigated by a team under the direction of Jaga Giebultowicz, an expert in biological clocks at the OSU College of Science.

The age-related changes from darkness to light occurred at two, twenty, forty, and sixty days. The study concentrated on the effects of blue light on the mitochondria of the flies' cells.

Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is a chemical energy source that is produced by mitochondria, which act as the cell's power plant.

Flying Blue Lights

In earlier studies, Giebultowicz demonstrated that continuous blue light exposure reduced the lifetime of flies, regardless of whether the light shone directly into their eyes.

The surprising finding of this current study, according to Giebultowicz, "is that persistent exposure to blue light might affect energy-producing pathways even in cells that are not specialized in light sensing." "We found that whereas some mitochondrial reactions were significantly slowed down by blue light, other responses were slowed down by aging independently of blue light. You might see it as aging flies suffering from blue light exposure suffering further harm.

Giebultowicz collaborated on the study, which was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, alongside Yujuan Song, Jun Yang, David Hendrix, and Matthew Robinson from the OSU College of Science, as well as Alexander Law and Doris Kretzschmar from Oregon Health & Science University.

A person's circadian rhythm, a 24-hour cycle of physiological processes that affects one's eating and sleeping patterns and includes hormone synthesis, brain wave activity, and cell regeneration, depends on natural light.

However, Giebultowicz notes that some studies indicates that increased exposure to artificial light can be a risk factor for circadian and sleep abnormalities. Due to the widespread usage of LED lights and device screens, which emit a high percentage of blue light, humans are also being exposed to increasing levels of blue light.

Even in the majority of wealthy nations, she claimed, "LED lighting technology has not been utilized long enough to know its consequences across the human lifespan. "There are growing worries that prolonged exposure to artificial light, particularly LED light that is blue-enriched, may be harmful to human health. Although the complete consequences of blue light exposure over the course of a person's lifespan are not yet known in humans, the accelerated aging shown in short-lived model species should serve as a warning that this stressor may cause cellular harm.

The researchers believe there are a few things people may do to improve themselves in the meantime that don't necessitate sitting for hours in the dark. Amber lenses on your spectacles will block blue light and shield your retinas. Additionally, blue emissions can be blocked on phones, laptops, and other gadgets.

In contrast to other visible wavelengths, daily lifetime exposure to blue light has negative effects on the brain, motor skills, and lifespan of the model organism, according to Giebultowicz's earlier research. The detrimental effects of blue light on flies are now being reported to be considerably age-dependent; the same time of exposure to the same intensity of light shortens lifespan and significantly worsens neurodegeneration in older flies compared to younger ones.

In prior studies, it was shown that flies housed in daily cycles of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness lived shorter lifetimes than flies kept in complete darkness or in light with the blue wavelengths filtered out.

The flies that were exposed to blue light had damage to their retinal cells and brain neurons in addition to having decreased locomotion—their usual propensity to climb the walls of their enclosures was reduced.

Even the eyeless mutant flies in the experiment showed signs of impairment, demonstrating that flies weren't need to be able to see the light in order to be affected by it.

The National Institutes of Health provided funding for the study.

By OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY 

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