Stop the Honking! Study Links Traffic Noise with Weight

Yahoo Health
Updated

Traffic noise is annoying as heck — and it could have implications for your health. (Photo: Flickr/joiseyshowaa)

The constant sounds of horns honking, trains whistling, and planes flying could have an impact on your weight, new research suggests.

According to a recent study published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, traffic noise can lead to a larger waistline in both men and women.

The study included 5,075 Swedish adults, whose blood pressure, diabetes status, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio using the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of obesity were all examined by researchers. They also answered a detailed questionnaire that examined various aspects of their life, including health, sleep habits, job stress, and noise pollution in their everyday environment (including traffic noise, train noise, and aircraft noise).

Related: Is Your Commute Sucking the Life Out of You?

The study researchers discovered:

  • For every 5-decibel (dB) increase over 45 dB of road traffic noise, there was a 0.21-centimeter increase in waist circumference, with women being more at risk.

  • For every 5-dB increase over 45 dB of road traffic noise, there was a 0.16 increase in waist-hip ratio, with men being more at risk.

  • For people who were exposed to higher levels of all three sounds — road traffic noise, train noise, or aircraft noise — their risk for a larger midsection doubled.

“The main finding of our study is that long-term exposure to traffic noise of various sources — road, railway, and aircraft — may be a risk factor for abdominal (central) obesity,” study author Andrei Pyko, MD, from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, tells Yahoo Health.

Related: Overweight? You May Need A Lot More Vitamin D

“The main mechanism underlying this association is probably that traffic noise may increase the levels of a stress hormone called cortisol, which is known to stimulate the accumulation of visceral fat in the abdominal area,” Pyko explains. He says the increase in cortisol can be “brought about by an over-stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, in particular the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis.”

Aside from taking up residence in a more serene surrounding, what’s a person who lives in a high-traffic area — like in a city — to do? “Keeping a healthy diet and exercising regularly may ‘buffer’ the potential negative effects of an excessive exposure to noise,” says Pyko. He also suggests keeping the windows closed during the night, wearing earplugs while sleeping, and choosing your bedroom to be on the quietest side of the home.

Read This Next: This Sound Instantly Improves Concentration (and Mood)

Let’s keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Health on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Have a personal health story to share? We want to hear it. Tell us at YHTrueStories@yahoo.com.