More exposure to artificial, bright, outdoor nighttime light linked to higher stroke risk Air pollution and nighttime outdoor light each were associated with harmful effects on brain health, finds new study in the journal Stroke

https://newsroom.heart.org/news/more-exposure-to-artificial-bright-outdoor-nighttime-light-linked-to-higher-stroke-risk?preview=3426&preview_mode=True&utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=299795638&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--lAfD_O77sFuWu2SJ1uXA0l-VO5iQQvsWND7kLEgn12BrN84DYjqohFFuBwL_9TB0L365M1YBvLRlHbAP-ssIaMJ-7nw&utm_content=299795638&utm_source=hs_email Another form of pollution is tied to stroke risk: outdoor light at night We know people exposed to air pollution may be more susceptible to strokes because the particulate matter they breathe in can lead to blood vessel inflammation. Outdoor light pollution at night is also suspected in stroke risk because it may interfere with melatonin production and the sound sleep it induces. A new study in the journal Stroke followed 28,000 people in China who lived in a large industrial city whose light exposure was tracked by satellite imaging. Researchers found greater stroke risk with each kind of pollution acting independently of the other. After six years of follow up, 1,278 of the study participants had suffered strokes. People with the highest exposure to light at night had a 43% greater risk of stroke, while people who had the highest exposure to air pollution also had a greater risk of stroke, from burning fuel (41%), dust and smoke (50%), and vehicle exhaust (31%). Those who had strokes tended to have lower income, as well as greater exposure to both air and light pollution. Outdoor light at night may be an emerging risk factor for stroke, the authors conclude.