我们不再生活在一个单纯由太阳提供光照的世界，人造光让数以百万计的人熬夜,或在黎明前的几个小时工作。但是这个额外的照明的代价也是我们一个内部生物钟的破坏,同时越来越多的证据表明这个会导致肥胖。现在,一项在老鼠身上的研究表明,过度的曝光使啮齿动物消耗更少的脂肪,发现如果确认可以导致人类减肥的新路径。

    从屏幕曝光已被证明在人类破坏昼夜节律,老鼠的一项新的研究表明,类似的效果可能会引起因为棕色脂肪的减少活动而造成动物的体重增加。

    原文链接：Could turning out the lights help you burn fat?

    原文摘要：We no longer live in a world governed by the sun. Artificial light lets millions of people stay up late, or work in the predawn hours. But the price many of us pay for this extra illumination is a disrupted internal clock—and, growing evidence suggests, obesity. Now, a study of mice suggests that excessive light exposure causes the rodents to burn less fat, a finding that if confirmed could lead to new paths to weight loss in humans.

Many mammals have two types of tissues that store fat: brown fat and white fat. Both store energy, but white fat releases its energy stores to power other cells, while brown fat produces heat from metabolizing its contents. For years, scientists have been trying to coax brown fat into action as a way to stimulate weight loss. They’ve identified a protein called β3 adrenergic receptor that, when activated, encourages brown fat cells to burn off more fat and produce more heat.