Conn. A University of Connecticut Health Center researcher suspects exposure to high levels of nighttime light may be related to an increased risk of breast cancer. Richard Stevens, Ph.D., a cancer epidemiologist in the Department of Community Medicine and Healthcare, believes ill-timed light disrupts basic body rhythms circadian rhythms and may affect the production of certain hormones, such as melatonin. His theory is based on animal studies and biology.
Light can interfere with hormone production cycles and reduce the amount of melatonin made.
Melatonin may influence production of estrogen in such a way that reduced amounts of it may lead to elevated estrogen. And elevated estrogen is known to increase the risk of breast cancer. That may be easier said than done. Electricity has changed the way we live. In other words, we live in lighted nights and dark days and what our bodies need is dark nights and bright days.