Exposure to outdoor artificial light at night is associated with a higher risk of ulcerative colitis: a prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, and environmental factors are believed to play an important role in its pathogenesis. Exposure to outdoor artificial light at night (ALAN) has been linked to the globally increasing incidence and prevalence of several diseases; however, its relationship with IBD remains unclear. We aimed to estimate the long-term risk of IBD associated with outdoor ALAN exposure in a large-scale prospective cohort.

Methods

We conducted a large-scale prospective cohort study using the UK Biobank. Outdoor ALAN exposure data were obtained from satellite datasets. The primary outcome was incident IBD. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association between outdoo

SUBMITTER: Chen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12901493 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature