Exposure to outdoor artificial light at night increases risk and burden of metabolic disease in Ningxia, China

s Nearly a quarter of the world’s land has already been polluted by artificial light. And numerous human and animal studies have corroborated that light at night can disrupt metabolism. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the association between outdoor artificial light at night (ALAN) and the presence of metabolic disease. Daily hospital admission cases from Ningxia, China, between 2014 and 2020 were included. Cumulative associations between outdoor ALAN and metabolic disease were estimated using logistic regression and distributed lagged non-linear models (DLNM) with lags of 0–30 days and stratified analysis by age groups and gender. The results suggest that 26.80% of metabolic disease cases in Ningxia can be attributed to outdoor ALAN and that men, especially in men aged 46–59 years, are more susceptible to lighting. Policymakers need to develop measures and facilities in corresponding areas, such as universal access to indoor blackout curtains. In particular, men should be urged to minimize going outside at night and to develop protective measures specifically for men. Graphical abstract