Complex organs related to the eyes, immune system and circadian rhythm
Artificial light induces an inflammatory response, increasing the risk of chronic diseases
Experiments conducted on fruit flies… Lifespan under light stimulation↓
[이데일리 이현정 인턴기자] Prolonged use of cellphones not only worsens eyesight, but also shortens lifespan in the long run, a study has found.
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A citizen is looking at a smartphone. (Photo = AFP) |
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The Daily Mail reported on the 8th (local time) that a research team from the ‘Buck Institute for Research on Aging’ in the US published a study on the close relationship between eye and physical health in the international scientific journal ‘Nature Communications’.
Although many studies have shown that diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure cause visual impairment, there has been no analysis on the possibility that poor eyesight can cause disease. Researchers viewed the eye as a complex organ related to the immune system and circadian rhythm, and conducted a study on the adverse effects that deterioration of eye health can have on the body as a whole.
According to the study, the eye has a high immune response as it is an organ that directly meets the external environment, and it was confirmed that the inflammatory reaction easily occurs when exposed to artificial light stimulation for a long time. The researchers explained that if this condition persists, inflammation may spread to other areas and cause various chronic diseases.
To prove this, the researchers conducted an experiment on fruit flies. Drosophila is used in many biological experiments because it shares more than 60% of its genes with humans and can observe several generations due to its short lifespan. As a result, it was found that the average lifespan of the fruit fly population exposed to artificial light for a long time was significantly lower than that of the fruit fly population in the dark.
Dr Pankahi Kapahi, PhD in Aging Biology, said, “Many people think of the eye as just a part that provides vision, but in fact, the eye is an organ related to the entire body. “It suggested the possibility that it might lead to a shortened lifespan,” he said.
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