science

Another Thing to Make You Fat: A Well-Lit Room

Photo: Garry Wade/Getty Images

A new study from the Institute of Cancer Research in London found that women with brightly lit bedrooms were more likely to be overweight than women who slept in darker, gloomier chambers. This study is part of the grand tradition of science informing you that merely living upon this Earth expands your waistline and plumps up your bingo wings. ​​And light — a weightless and magical thing! It’s the least likely boogeyman for a chubs scare, but you can’t argue with science.

Researchers, who published their work in the American Journal of Epidemiology, spoke to 113,000 women about how much light permeated their bedrooms at night. When these measurements were connected to markers of obesity (weight, BMI), the researchers found that lighter rooms were correlated with heavier women. Though the scientists say it’s not enough evidence to start sleeping in a darker space, they will continue to explore the connection between light exposure and metabolism.

Another Thing to Make You Fat: A Well-Lit Room