Exposure to light while sleeping can make you fat





Women who are exposed to greater levels of light while sleeping are more likely to gain weight, a new study has claimed.

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, found body mass index, waist-hip ratio, waistheight ratio and waist circumference, all increased with increasing exposure to light at night.

These associations were seen after adjustments were made for confounding factors that could be associated with light exposure levels and weight in the study participants.

The findings come from cross-sectional analyses of data from the Breakthrough Generations Study , which followed over 113,000 women from across the United Kingdom for 40 years to find the root cause of breast cancer.

"Metabolism is affected by cyclical rhythms within the body that relate to sleeping, waking and light exposure," said Anthony Swerdlow, a researcher from the institute.