Traffic noise increases risk of obesity: Study

According to a study, long term exposure to blaring horns and other noise from road traffic can make one obese.

The report, which was published in the journal Environment International, showed that a 10 decibel (dB) increase in mean noise level was associated with a 17 percent increase in obesity.

Researchers says that there could be many reasons to explain this relationship. One of them is, noise generates stress, which negatively affects our sleep and alters hormone levels and increases blood pressure.

Also, among other effects, sleep disturbance deregulates glucose metabolism and alters the appetite.

Maria Foraster- lead researcher from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain said, “In the long term, these effects could give rise to chronic physiological alterations, which would explain the proven association between persistent exposure to traffic-related noise and cardiovascular disease or the more recently discovered associations with diabetes and obesity.”

The reserach involved 3,796 adults and examined their body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, body fat, central obesity and overweight.

Foraster further added, “Our findings suggest that reducing traffic-related noise could also be a way of combating the obesity epidemic”.

The study also analysed exposure to noise generated by aircraft and railway traffic, but found no significant associations except in the case of long-term exposure to railway noise, might lead to a higher risk of overweight, but not of obesity.

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