When looking after your heart, you probably consider your diet and exercise routine. You probably don’t think about the light you are exposed to in the evening. You should, because artificial light at night causes inflammation to the arteries, raising the risk of heart disease.

A new retrospective, observational study showed that exposure to artificial light from screens, street lamps, and indoor light at night appears to raise inflammation in the arteries and triggers a stress response in the brain. This puts strain on the cardiovascular system. Individuals with the most exposure to light at night had a 35 percent increased risk of a major cardiovascular event after 5 years.

According to Shady Abohashem, MD, MPH, head of cardiac PET/CT imaging trials at Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston, “Our study is the first to link outdoor light pollution to an active biological pathway that may contribute to cardiovascular disease. Prior research has shown that light at night disrupts our body’s natural circadian rhythm, while our work demonstrates that it also activates stress centers in the brain and triggers inflammation in the arteries, a combination that we’ve previously found to increase heart disease risk.”

How to protect your heart from artificial light at night

The study authors have the following recommendation:

“For individuals living in areas with high light pollution, we recommend minimizing unnecessary sources of artificial light. That means keeping the bedroom as dark as possible, using blackout blinds, eye masks, dimming lighting, and reducing screen time in the hours before sleep.”

Earlier studies have shown that artificial light at night can also raise blood sugar, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Humans are not nocturnal creatures; we evolved to sleep during the night with the only light source being the moon or fire. Modern lifestyles and night shift working hours can have a devastating effect on circadian rhythm. This raises inflammation and insulin resistance, and in time can lead to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Other strategies to protect your heart

Be aware that your liver is the most metabolically active organ in your body. Two of its main jobs are fat burning and detoxification. If your liver is healthy you will find it easier to maintain a healthy heart. If your liver is healthy you will also have a healthy level of glucose, insulin and cholesterol in your blood. If you have a fatty liver, please follow the guidelines in my book Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It. If you are carrying excess weight on your abdomen, my liver tonic, Livatone Plus, should help to shift it more easily.

Eating more sugar and carbohydrate rich foods than your body can tolerate can make you insulin resistant. The carbohydrate can be converted into fat in your liver and then clog your arteries. Cutting down or cutting out foods like bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals, sugary drinks and any food that contains flour or sugar is a very useful way of keeping your heart healthy. Sugar and carbs can be addictive for a lot of people despite their best efforts to stay away from them. That’s when a blood sugar balancing supplement can really help. The herbs Gymnema and bitter melon, as well as the minerals chromium, magnesium and manganese all help to stabilize blood sugar and thereby reduce hunger and cravings. Glicemic Balance capsules contain these ingredients and are best taken with each meal.

Be aware of excess linoleic acid in your diet. Most vegetable oil is far too high in omega 6 fats which promote inflammation. When these fats are heated (during cooking) they are further damaged and become very harmful to the body. The healthiest fats to include in your diet are avocados, extra virgin olive oil, macadamia nut oil, organic coconut oil, pastured butter and ghee and animal fats.

Type 2 diabetics and people with insulin resistance are at much higher risk of heart disease than the average person. People with these conditions usually have elevated blood insulin levels and insulin stimulates the liver to make cholesterol. Berberine is a natural plant extract that can help people with insulin resistance or diabetes to reduce their cholesterol. This is because it inhibits an enzyme in the body called PCSK9. This facilitates the removal of LDL cholesterol from your bloodstream. Berberine actually has the same mechanism of action as the new cholesterol lowering drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors, but without the typical side effects of flu like symptoms, back pain and joint pain.

For more information about keeping your heart healthy see my book Cholesterol: The Real Truth.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.