A new study suggests that excessive exposure to blue light, such as from computer monitors, smartphone displays and TV screens, can have an aging effect on our bodies. The study shows that the content of certain metabolites in the cells of fruit flies that are exposed to blue light changes. These metabolites have the same function in humans, so avoiding excessive exposure to blue light could be a good anti-aging strategy.

‍

Too much screen use is linked to obesity and mental health issues. Now, a new study has uncovered an additional problem: This study in fruit flies suggests that our basic cell functions could be affected by the blue light emitted by these electronic devices. These findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Aging.

‍

“Excessive exposure to blue light from everyday devices such as televisions, laptops, and smartphones can have harmful effects on a wide range of cells in our bodies, from skin and fat cells to sensory neurons,” said Dr. Jadwiga Giebultowicz, professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at Oregon State University and lead author of this study. “We are the first to be able to show that the levels of certain metabolites — chemicals that are essential for cells to function correctly — are altered in fruit flies exposed to blue light.

‍

“Our study suggests that avoiding excessive exposure to blue light could be a good anti-aging strategy,” says Giebultowicz.

‍

‍

Switch off the light

Oregon State University researchers have already shown that fruit flies that are exposed to light turn on stress-protection genes, and that flies that are kept in constant darkness live longer.

‍

“To understand why high-energy blue light accelerates the aging of flies, we compared the metabolic values of flies exposed to blue light for two weeks with those of flies kept in complete darkness,” explains Giebultowicz.

‍

Exposure to blue light resulted in significant differences in the concentration of metabolites, which the researchers measured in fly head cells. In particular, they found that the level of the metabolite succinate was increased, while the glutamate content was reduced.

‍

“Succinate is essential for producing the fuel for the function and growth of every cell. A high succinate level after exposure to blue light is comparable to gasoline that is in the pump but does not get into the car,” says Giebultowicz. “Another disturbing discovery was that molecules responsible for communication between neurons, such as glutamate, are at lower levels after exposure to blue light.”

‍

‍

Accelerating aging

The changes recorded by researchers suggest that the cells are working at sub-optimal levels, which may lead to their premature death. This also explains their previous findings that blue light accelerates aging.

‍

“LEDs have become the main lighting for screens such as telephones, desktops, and TVs, as well as ambient lighting, so people are exposed to blue light from LED lighting for much of their waking time. The chemical signaling substances in the cells of flies and humans are the same, meaning that blue light may have negative effects on humans,” says Giebultowicz.

‍

We've irradiated the flies with fairly strong blue light — people are exposed to less intense light, so the cell damage may be less dramatic. The results of this study suggest that future research with human cells is needed to determine the extent to which human cells have similar changes in metabolites involved in energy production in response to excessive exposure to blue light,” concluded Giebultowicz.