Daylight exposure may help treat type 2 diabetes: Study

New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) Exposure to natural light may help treat and prevent type 2 diabetes, according to a small study.

The research, presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Germany from October 2-6, carried out a range of metabolic tests on a group of people with type 2 diabetes when they were exposed to natural light and when they were exposed to artificial light and compared the results. “The misalignment of our internal circadian clock with the demands of a 24/7 society is associated with an increased incidence of metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes,” said Ivo Habets of Maastricht University, the Netherlands, who co-led the research.

“Natural daylight is the strongest zeitgeber, or environmental cue, of the circadian clock, but most people are indoors during the day and so under constant artificial lighting,” said Habets.