Excessive time spent in front of screens makes children suffer from obesity and causes sleep disturbances, neck problems, and difficulty concentrating. But not only that.
A Turkish study showed that if blue light is consumed frequently, it can also affect hormonal levels and increase the risk of early puberty.
Researchers from Gazi University and Bilkent City Hospital in Ankara have demonstrated this association through studies conducted on male rats.
They presented their findings at the 61st Annual Meeting of the European Society of Pediatric Endocrinology in The Hague. They follow their previous study on blue light exposure in female mice, which also had an early effect Maturity It has been noticed.
“For the first time we have found a direct link between exposure to “Blue light and early puberty in male rats,” said lead researcher Dr. Hans Hans. Aylin Kilinc Ugurlu from Beykent City Hospital. “Our results are consistent with our previous work in female rats, which also showed similar effects, providing a more comprehensive view of how blue light affects puberty in both male and female rats.”
Eighteen 21-day-old male mice were divided equally into three groups. Two of them were exposed to blue light for six or twelve hours, while the control group underwent a twelve-hour light-dark cycle without exposure to blue light.
The result: Mice exposed to blue light showed signs of early puberty.
“I would like to stress that this is a mouse study and direct results in humans cannot be interpreted. However, we provide an experimental basis for studying the health consequences over increasingly long periods of time.” Screen time “In modern society,” Ugurlu explained.
The researchers hope to continue the current study of blue light exposure in mice to “better understand its long-term effects on reproductive organ damage and fertility.”
