“The Surprising Link Between Sunlight and Blood Sugar”

Key points

• A study in Cell Metabolism found daylight exposure improved glucose control in 13 Type 2 diabetics.
• Participants spent days with natural daylight or only artificial lighting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• An August UK Biobank study of 420,000+ people linked sunnier periods to lower blood glucose levels.
• Tanning bed use associated with roughly 20% lower lifetime risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
• Experts caution results are correlational, not causative, but suggest light influences circadian regulation of metabolism.