Early puberty linked to smartphones, say Turkish endocrinologists
A study has shown that blue light from diodes accelerates puberty in male rats.Researchers from Ankara City Hospital and Gazi University have shown that exposure to blue light accelerates puberty in male mice, suppresses sperm development and leads to testicular tissue damage. Last year, researchers reported that accelerated maturation under blue light exposure is characteristic of female rats.
The scientists studied 18 male rats aged 21 days, divided into three groups of six individuals each. The animals in the control group were exposed to sunlight, while those in the experimental groups spent 6 or 12 hours under blue light.
The researchers found that the first signs of puberty appeared much earlier in males exposed to blue light. In this case, the longer the rats were under such light, the earlier they began puberty. Prolonged exposure to blue light also suppressed sperm development and damaged testicular tissue.
Although the experiments were conducted on animals and require further study, the researchers believe that humans may show similar effects. This could explain the early puberty in some children recorded recently, researchers believe. Regular use of smartphones and other blue-emitting devices, especially during the pandemic, may have influenced early puberty.
"I want to emphasize that this is a study on rats and the direct results cannot be interpreted for humans. Nevertheless, we provide an experimental framework to further investigate the health effects of the ever-increasing time spent in front of a screen in today's society," Kılinç Ugurlu, co-author of the study.