Losing the battle against the bulge? Here’s a novel new way to fight it: Get up early and go outside.
The research, published Wednesday in the journal PLoS ONE, says that those who expose themselves to light early in the day are more likely to have a lower body fat index, or BMI–something that, oddly enough, seems to affect their hormones.
In this case, scientists say it specifically affects the hormones leptin and ghrelin–“hunger” hormones which determine how much you eat.
“We were very interested in looking at the relationship between lighting and how that may be affecting your weight,” says Dr. Phyllis Zee, senior author of the study and director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “This is an early study, but we did indeed see a fairly robust association between the amount of light and the timing of light, and weight.”
The Research
Recruiting a total of 54 adults with an average age of 31, Zee first asked them to report their weight and height, two important numbers needed to determine their body mass index, or BMI. Then, after gathering the data, she asked them to do two things: Wear a monitoring device to measure their light exposure and keep a food log.
Then she waited for the next seven days as they continued wearing these devices to see if any associations could be made.
After the study, Zee found that those who were exposed to sunlight earlier in the day–for example, as the sun rose–were exposed to approximately 500 lux of light. This translated to a lower BMI, something she says may be due to how the sun affects the body’s natural circadian rhythm.
“For every hour later in the day that you reach 500 lux that translates to an increase of 1.28 BMI,” says Zee. “The earlier the light exposure, the lower the BMI.”
In turn, Zee also explains that being exposed to morning light may have an effect on two of the biggest appetite hormones, gherelin and leptin. When these are in balance–something achieved through healthy, regular sleep patterns–these levels normalize and people generality don’t overeat. But when sleep is erratic or people sleep at odd times during the day, these levels become warped, making people more likely to overindulge.
For Zee, it’s a complicated issue that may now have a simple solution.
“People tend to lose more weight in the summer, when you’re getting more light earlier in the day,” says Zee. “Whenever possible, be exposed to early light,” she said. “Walk to work if you can. Bright, outdoor light will be way above the 500 lux. If you can’t get outside, work near a window.”
Oddly enough, the easiest way to keep your weight low may be to simply get up earlier–and enjoy the great outdoors.
Readers: How else do you control your weight?
Sources:
Early Morning Light Exposure May Stop Weight Gain – LATimes.com
The Morning Light May Help You Stay Slim – Philly.com
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