Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35462547›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2022

Time spent in outdoor light is associated with the risk of dementia: a prospective cohort study of 362094 participants.

Ling-Zhi Ma, Ya-Hui Ma, Ya-Nan Ou, Shi-Dong Chen, Liu Yang, Qiang Dong, Wei Cheng, Lan Tan, Jin-Tai Yu

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed
4.1field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 43 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Seeing through the veil: blue-light filtering and peak contrast sensitivity in pseudophakic patients.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2026
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  7. Photosensitivity of an aging brain.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025
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  11. Facial aging, cognitive impairment, and dementia risk.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2024
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  12. Article
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  15. Article
  16. Self-Reported Outdoor Light Exposure Time and Incident Heart Failure.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2024
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Ling-Zhi MaDepartment of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China.
Ya-Hui MaDepartment of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China.
Ya-Nan OuDepartment of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China.
Shi-Dong ChenDepartment of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 12th Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200040, China.
Liu YangDepartment of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 12th Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200040, China.
Qiang DongDepartment of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 12th Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200040, China.
Wei ChengInstitute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Lan TanDepartment of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China. dr.tanlan@163.com.
Jin-Tai YuDepartment of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 12th Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200040, China. jintai_yu@fudan.edu.cn.
Qingdao University · CNHuashan Hospital · CNState Key Laboratory of Medical NeurobiologyQingdao Municipal Hospital · CNShanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology · CN

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_PC_17228Medical Research Council MC_QA137853
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundData on the association between free-living daytime sunlight exposure and incident dementia are scarce. The objective is to evaluate whether the time spent in outdoor light is related to the dementia risk and to investigate whether the optimal duration varies with clinical parameters.

methodsData were from a prospective cohort of 362,094 UK Biobank participants. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate how many hours the participants spent outdoors on typical summer and winter days. A restricted cubic spline (RCS) was performed to explore the potential nonlinear relationship between sunlight exposure and the risk of dementia. We used multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) for the associations between sunlight exposure and dementia outcomes, with the change points as a reference.

resultsAfter a median follow-up of 9.0 years, 4149 (1.15%) individuals were diagnosed with dementia. RCS showed a J-shaped relationship between time spent in outdoor light and the dementia risk, with the lowest risk at three change points (1.5 h/day on average, 2 h/day in summer, and 1 h/day in winter). Cox hazard regression models showed a marked increase in risk at low exposure (HR=1.287, 95%CI 1.094-1.515) but a relatively slow increase at higher exposure (HR=1.070, 95%CI 1.031-1.10). Results are more pronounced among participants over 60 years old, females, and those with exactly 7 h of sleep every night.

conclusionsSunlight exposure had a J-shaped association with dementia risk. Giving detailed guidance on sunlight exposure can effectively prevent dementia.

Indexed as

DementiaSleepCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedProspective StudiesRisk FactorsDementiaDose-responseRisk factorsSunlightUK Biobank

Identifiers

PMID35462547
PMCPMC9036798
OpenAlexW4224316641

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.