Exposure to light at night (LAN) and risk of obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
human subjects
exposure to light at night (LAN)
none
risk of obesity, overweight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-hip-ratio, waist-to-height-ratio
Abstract
There is emerging evidence of the association between light at night (LAN) exposure and weight gain. We aim to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies on the association between LAN exposure and risk of obesity in human subjects. Peer-reviewed observational studies were systematically searched from MEDLINE (EBSCO), Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), CINAHL Plus (EBSCO) and PubMed up to December 24, 2019. Random-effects models were developed to estimate the associations between LAN exposure and weight-related outcomes of overweight and obesity as measured by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-hip-ratio and waist-to-height-ratio. The I A total of 12 studies (three with longitudinal and nine of cross-sectional design) published between 2003 and 2019 were included for systematic review, while seven of them fulfilling the inclusion/exclusion criteria were included in the meta-analysis. A higher LAN exposure was significantly associated with 13% higher odds of overweight (BMI≥25 kg/m Exposure to LAN was reported to be a significant risk factor for overweight and obesity. Prospectively designed future studies with objectively measured multi-level LAN exposures and weight outcomes are required.