Traffic Noise May Increase the Risk of Diabetes and Hypertension – Myhealthyclick

A new study publishedMonday in the Journal of the American Heart Association has found that thetraffic noise could increase ones risk of developing diabetes and high bloodpressure (hypertension).

Canadian researchers foundthat the risk of diabetes and hypertension increased among people who werechronically exposed to high traffic noise.

They looked at over 1million Toronto residents between the ages of 35 and 100 for a period of 15years.

They discovered that for each10-decibel increase in traffic noise, the risk of diabetes increased by 8percent and hypertension by 2 percent. The risk further increased afterexposure to air pollution and poor socioeconomic status.

Research scientist withHealth Canada and senior study author Dr. Hong Chen said, This may havesomething to do with peoples sensitivity to noise exposure. For example,age-related hearing loss may play a role, as typically it is more difficult forrelatively older individuals to detect noise.

Dr. Chen explained that noiseexposure could instigate multiple stress responses, which could increase thelevel of stress hormones. Also, frequent exposure may cause metabolic problemsand insulin resistance, which could result in diabetes.

Previous studies have foundthat road traffic noise has been associated with severe hypertension anddiabetes. A 2017 study reported in Environmental Research found that road,rail, and airplane noise could increase the risk of severe hypertension,causing heart disease. A 2013 study found that each 10-decibel increase intraffic noise increased the risk of diabetes.

Dr. Richard Becker from theUniversity of Cincinnati Heart, Lung & Vascular Institute, who was not partof the study, said the new studys findings are important for a variety ofreasons.

He noted that people acrossthe world are increasingly living in urban areas, exposing them to the road,rail, and airplane noises.

The worlds urbanpopulation increased from 751 million in 1950 to more than 4 billion in 2018,according to the United Nations.

Dr. Becker said, Thisinformation can inform building codes, city planning, road surface reflection,ground absorption and a variety of things that will minimize exposure to roadtraffic noise.

It could be that criticalparts of the sleep cycle are disturbed or that there are subcortical reflexesto something that the brain is interpreting as potentially harmful, he added.

However, Dr. Chen said weneed additional studies to clarify the link between health issues and frequent noiseexposure. Public health efforts toreduce the exposure of noise to residents may foster a quality residentialnoise environment, thereby contributing to better health and well-being and ahealthier city overall, said Dr. Chen.

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Traffic Noise May Increase the Risk of Diabetes and Hypertension - Myhealthyclick