Sleeping under lights harmful for health

Exposure to lighting during night sleep can harm cardiovascular functions and increase insulin resistance the following morning, say researchers at Northwestern University, USA. The study, published in the journal PNAS, tested the effect of sleeping with 100 lux (moderate light) compared to 3 lux (dim light) in participants over one night. The researchers found that moderate light exposure caused the body to go into a higher alert state called sympathetic activation. In this state, heart rate increases as also the force with which the heart contracts.

“The results from this study demonstrate that just a single night of exposure to moderate room lighting during sleep can impair glucose and cardiovascular regulation, which are risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. It’s important for people to avoid or minimize the amount of light exposure during sleep,” says Dr. Phyllis Zee, chief of sleep medicine at the university’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

Sharing memories sets children on a path of better well-being

Infants whose mothers received special coaching in talking about memories, grew into adolescents with better mental wellbeing, reveals a recent research study conducted by the University of Otago, New Zealand. The study found that 15-year-olds told more coherent stories about turning points in their lives if their mothers had been taught new conversational techniques 14 years earlier.

Published in the Journal of Personality (2022), the study is a follow-up of a reminiscing intervention in which 115 mothers of infants were assigned to either a control group or trained in elaborative reminiscing for a year. Elaborative reminiscing involves having open and responsive conversations with youngest children about everyday past events.

Prof. Elaine Reese, project lead, says adolescents whose mothers had participated in the coaching sessions narrated difficult events from their lives — such as parental divorce or cyber-bullying — with greater clarity and insights. “Our findings suggest that brief coaching sessions with parents early in children’s lives can have long-lasting benefits, for the way adolescents process and talk about difficult life events and for their well-being,” says Reese.

WHO calls for better maternal and postnatal care

On March 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first ever global guidelines to support women and newborns in the postnatal period — the first six weeks after birth. Currently three in ten women and infants worldwide don’t receive any postnatal care in the first few days after birth — the period when most maternal and infant deaths occur.

“The need for quality maternity and newborn care doesn’t stop once a baby is born. Indeed, the birth of a baby is a life-changing moment… Parents need strong healthcare and support systems, especially women, whose needs are too often neglected when the baby comes,” says Dr. Anshu Banerjee, director of maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and ageing at WHO.

In its guidelines WHO recommends breastfeeding; provision of high quality care in health facilities/hospitals for women and infants for at least 24 hours after birth; encouragement of partner involvement during pregnancy; health check-ups post-delivery, and screening of women for postnatal maternal depression and anxiety.

Artificial sweeteners increase cancer risk

Consumption of packaged foods with artificial sweeteners increases the risk of cancer, says a study published in the journal PLOS Medicine (March 2022). Researchers at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and Sorbonne Paris Nord University, France, who analyzed data of 102,865 French adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé study, found that respondents who consumed larger quantities of artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame and acesulfame-K, reported higher risk of cancer compared to non-consumers. They also observed higher risks for breast and obesity-related cancers.

“Results suggest that artificial sweeteners found in many food and beverage brands worldwide may be associated with increased cancer risk. These findings provide novel information for re-evaluation of these food additives by health agencies,” says Charlotte Debras of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research.