| Title: | Exposure to nighttime blackout regulations during the in-utero and early-life periods is associated with health outcomes in adulthood |
| Journal: | The Science of The Total Environment |
| Published: | 23 Dec 2025 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41443155/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.181283 |
Publication 17049
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Abstract
The impact of light at night (LAN) on human disease is well-established, yet assessing the association between early-life LAN exposure and adult health remains challenging. This natural experiment included 105,732 adults from the UK Biobank, born between April 1943 and December 1947. Participants were stratified by their exposure to nighttime blackout during early-life, defined by whether they were conceived before or after the end of the blackout regulations (September 1939 to April 1945). Multivariate parametric hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). The outcomes comprised 15 broad-spectrum diseases categorized by organ system, 45 specific diseases (e.g., depression), and four comorbidities (e.g., obesity and diabetes), all defined by ICD-10 chapters. The association was most substantial for mental and behavioral disorders at in-utero plus 24 months (HR = 0.79, 95 %CI: 0.75-0.82). Further analyses of specific diseases revealed the strongest associations in this same period for anxiety (HR = 0.71, 95 %CI: 0.66-0.77) and depression (HR = 0.73, 95 %CI: 0.68-0.78). Notably, the most pronounced association for comorbidities was also observed for this period for obesity and diabetes (HR = 0.62, 95 %CI: 0.54-0.70). A longer exposure duration was associated with an older age at diagnosis. For instance, the mean age for mental disorders in the in-utero plus 24 months group was 2.99 years higher than that in control. This study indicates that early-life nighttime blackout exposure is associated with a reduced risk of multiple diseases in adulthood. Our findings underscore the need for further research to guide public health strategies aimed at mitigating LAN exposure during early-life.</p>
7 Authors
- Bolun Cheng
- Chuyu Pan
- Wenming Wei
- Shiqiang Cheng
- Boyue Zhao
- Jin Feng
- Feng Zhang
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 46478 | Multi-omics integrative studies of common psychiatric disorders and skeletal disorders |
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