"Abolishing Daylight Saving Time Could Prevent 2.6 Million Obesity Cases and 300,000 Strokes in the US" [Kok! Health]

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A study has found that abolishing daylight saving time could prevent approximately 2.6 million cases of obesity and 300,000 cases of stroke annually in the United States.

On September 16, Yonhap News reported the findings of a research team led by Professor Jamie Zeitzer from Stanford University School of Medicine. The researchers conducted simulations published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) to examine the health effects of permanent standard time, permanent daylight saving time, and the current daylight saving time system. The results predicted that if daylight saving time were abolished and permanent standard time were adopted, the national obesity prevalence would decrease by 0.78%, and the incidence of stroke would decline by 0.09%. In the case of permanent daylight saving time-where clocks are set one hour ahead year-round-obesity was expected to decrease by 0.51% and stroke by 0.09%.

The research team explained that while these effects may seem small, in reality, permanent standard time could reduce the number of people with obesity by about 2,602,800 and cases of stroke by about 306,900 each year. Permanent daylight saving time could reduce obesity by about 1,705,400 people and stroke by about 220,000 people annually. Professor Zeitzer stated, "This study shows that fixing either standard time or daylight saving time is much better than changing the clocks twice a year," adding that from a circadian perspective, daylight saving time is the worst choice.

However, the research team noted that the study does not take into account factors such as weather, geography, and lifestyle, which affect actual light exposure. They emphasized that while the study provides a reasoned analysis of the long-term health impacts of different time policies, it does not represent a final conclusion.

In many countries in the United States and Europe, daylight saving time is observed by setting clocks forward one hour in the spring and returning to standard time in the fall. In South Korea, daylight saving time was implemented from 1949 to 1961, and again from 1987 to 1988 for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, before being abolished in 1989.