Blue light from our gadgets can speed the ageing process

Excessive screen time with devices with blue light have already been linked with health problems such as obesity and psychological problems, however, a new study has revealed a new problem. 

The study in fruit flies suggest our basic cellular functions could potentially be impacted by the blue light emitted from gadgets we use daily.

Senior author of the study, Dr Jadwiga Giebultowicz says: “Excessive exposure to blue light from everyday devices, such as TVs, laptops, and phones, may have detrimental effects on a wide range of cells in our body, from skin and fat cells, to sensory neurons.

“We are the first to show that the levels of specific metabolites –  chemicals that are essential for cells to function correctly – are altered in fruit flies exposed to blue light.

“Our study suggests that avoidance of excessive blue light exposure may be a good anti-aging strategy.”

Lights out

Researchers of this study have already previously displayed that fruit flies exposed to light ‘turn on’ stress protective genes, and that those kept in constant darkness lived longer.

The senior author says: “To understand why high-energy blue light is responsible for accelerating aging in fruit flies, we compared the levels of metabolites in flies exposed to blue light for two weeks to those kept in complete darkness.”

They found that blue light exposure caused significant differences in the levels of metabolites which were measured by the researchers in the cells of flies heads.

In particular, they discovered that the levels of the metabolite succinate were increased, but glutamate levels were lowered.

On these discoveries, Giebultowicz says: “Succinate is essential for producing the fuel for the function and growth of each cell. 

“High levels of succinate after exposure to blue light can be compared to gas being in the pump but not getting into the car

 “Another troubling discovery was that molecules responsible for communication between neurons, such as glutamate, are at the lower level after blue light exposure.”

Pressing fast forward

The recorded changes by the researchers suggest that the cells are operating at suboptimal level, and this may cause their premature death.

Furthermore, this explains their previous findings that blue light accelerates ageing.

On the damage blue light can cause, Giebultowicz says: “LEDs have become the main illumination in display screens such as phones, desktops and TVs, as well as ambient lighting, so humans in advanced societies are exposed to blue light through LED lighting during most of their waking hours. 

“The signalling chemicals in the cells of flies and humans are the same, so the there is potential for negative effects of blue light on humans.”

The team hope that with future research they can study the effects directly on human cells.

Giebultowicz concludes: “We used a fairly strong blue light on the flies – humans are exposed to less intense light, so cellular damage may be less dramatic. 

“The results from this study suggests that future research involving human cells is needed to establish the extent to which human cells may show similar changes in metabolites involved in energy production in response to excessive exposure to blue light.”