The Effects of Light on Glucose Metabolism

Light has a major influence on the biological clock and several studies suggest that bright light during the day and dim light in the evening are beneficial for the circadian timing system. Nowadays, large parts of the population spend 90% of their time indoors and are thereby exposed to artificial lighting instead of daylight. The artificial light levels are relatively low during the day and continue relatively late in the evening. The lack of a clear natural light-dark cycle could results in delayed timing of the biological clock relative to the behaviour. Optimizing the lighting conditions under controlled laboratory settings might lead to better alignment of the biological clock, which in turn could improve metabolic parameters such as glucose control.