Overview
- Preliminary PET/CT findings from a Massachusetts General Hospital cohort, presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans, associate greater night light with higher risk of heart disease.
- Each standard‑deviation increase in residential nighttime brightness corresponded to about 35% higher five‑year risk and 22% higher ten‑year risk after accounting for traditional risk factors.
- Imaging indicated heightened stress activity in the brain and inflammation in arterial walls, a pattern consistent with a stress‑immune mechanism for atherosclerosis; 17% of participants had major cardiac events over a decade.
- Associations were stronger in areas facing additional burdens such as high traffic noise or lower neighborhood income, using satellite‑derived brightness estimates at participants’ home addresses.
- Researchers emphasize limits of the single‑center, mostly white, observational cohort (466 adults scanned 2005–2008 using exposure estimates from the 2016 New World Atlas) and recommend practical light‑reduction steps for cities and households.