Darkness, melatonin may stall breast and prostate cancers

New studies suggest people need to respect the body’s desire for nighttime darkness

To stay healthy, the body needs its zzz’s. But independent of slumber, human health also appears to require plenty of darkness — especially at night. Or so suggests a pair of new cancer studies.

NIGHT LIGHTS AND CANCER This satellite imagery points to regions where nighttime illumination is brightest — and therefore where people are most likely to experience an unnatural suppression of melatonin, a hormone shown to help fight breast and prostate cancers.