Researchers at the University of Oregon have shown that blue light from smartphones and other devices can reduce energy production in cells, and this effect becomes more pronounced with age. Article published npj Aging.
The authors examined the effect of blue light on fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) during their lifetime. These animals are important model organisms with human-like cellular processes. The scientists raised the flies in a dark room and then moved them into blue-lighted rooms when they were two, 20, 40, and 60 days old. It turned out that they greatly reduced the energy production in the cells, and the decrease was more pronounced as they got older when they left the dark room. This reaction was specific: other processes worsened regardless of the presence of blue light.
Light-emitting diodes (LED) are a source of blue light whose effect on the human body is being actively studied. There are studies showing that increased exposure to artificial light is a risk factor for sleep disorders and circadian rhythms. However, this is a relatively new environmental factor even in developed countries, the necessary amount of data has not yet accumulated, so such studies are a way to predict the consequences of its continued use and find out if sensitivity to blue light changes with age. .
In previous work, the authors had shown that prolonged exposure to blue light affects the lifespan of flies, whether it shines in their eyes or not. That is, this type of radiation can disrupt energy production pathways, even in cells that do not specialize in sensing light.
Retinal damage can now be reduced by wearing glasses that block blue light and even adjusting phones, laptops and other devices to emit less blue light.