Led by biological clocks (i.e., circadian rhythm) expert and professor Jadwiga Giebultowicz, Ph.D., researchers at Oregon State University investigated how blue light exposure affects neurological (brain) health, mitochondrial health, and overall longevity by exposing the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to blue light as they age.
In general, aging reduced the organisms’ tolerance for environmental stressors (such as blue light), partly due to decreased mitochondrial reactions. The flies’ mitochondrial health was evaluated at different points of the lifespan (i.e., two, 20, 40, and 60 days) to see how exactly blue light impacted their cellular health as they aged.
“At the crux of mitochondrial health is bioenergetics, aka cellular energy production (you know, ATP from the foods we eat), for every function in our cells, tissues, organs, and whole-body systems,” shares nutrition scientist Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN.
