Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42175485›Full record

ArticleMedicine2026

Higher light at night exposure is associated with increased risk of diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study of the NHANES database.

Lu He, Cheng Zeng, Cong Liu, Ying Li, Ren Lin, Jing Hu, Rong Hu, Liqing Wei, LiJuan Xu, Changzheng Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Lu HeHealth Management Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.ORCID 0009-0005-0348-1019
Cheng ZengDepartment of Joint Surgery, Wuhan Orthopaedics Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Wuhan, China.
Cong LiuHealth Management Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Ying LiHealth Management Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Ren LinHealth Management Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Jing HuHealth Management Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Rong HuHealth Management Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Liqing WeiWuhan Wuchang Hospital, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
LiJuan XuHealth Management Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Changzheng ChenEye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

While evidence links light at night (LAN) to metabolic disturbances, large-scale, population-based studies of objectively-measured LAN exposure remain limited. This study investigates the association between LAN and the risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) among US adults using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Cross-sectional data from the 2011 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles were analyzed, focusing on participants with complete data on both LAN and DM. Participants were stratified by LAN level. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the association between LAN and DM. Multivariable linear regression analyses assessed relationships between LAN and diabetes risk markers, including hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose, fasting serum insulin, and Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses with multiple imputation tested robustness. A total of 4498 participants were enrolled. The prevalence of diabetes was higher in the high-LAN exposure group compared to the no-LAN group (21.01% vs 14.48%). Consistent with this, in the fully adjusted model, high-LAN exposure was independently associated with a significantly increased risk of DM (odds ratio [OR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00-1.92). High-LAN exposure was linked to elevated HbA1c and fasting blood glucose in initial models. However, these associations weakened and became nonsignificant after full adjustment for covariates. No significant associations were observed for fasting serum insulin or HOMA-IR. Subgroup analyses showed the association between LAN and DM was more pronounced in middle-aged adults (40-64 years), individuals with obesity, and those with dyslipidemia or hypertension. However, no significant effect modification was found across subgroups (all P for interaction > .05). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings. This study uses objective actigraphy-based LAN measurement and shows its independent association with DM, especially in metabolically susceptible subgroups. These findings identify LAN as a modifiable environmental risk factor and support its relevance to DM prevention and public health strategy.

Indexed as

Circadian RhythmDiabetes MellitusLightAdultBlood GlucoseCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleGlycated HemoglobinHumansInsulinInsulin ResistanceMaleMiddle AgedNutrition SurveysPrevalenceRisk FactorsBlood GlucoseGlycated HemoglobinInsulindiabetes mellituslight at nightmetabolic health

Identifiers

PMID42175485
PMCPMC13201040

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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.