HELSINKI, Feb. 25– Exposure to road traffic noise at night may be linked to subtle but measurable changes in adults’ blood cholesterol and fat-related markers, according to a large European study in which the University of Oulu took part.
In a press release issued Wednesday, the Finnish university said the study, published in the journal Environmental Research, analyzed data from more than 270,000 adults drawn from three major European population cohorts: the UK Biobank, the Rotterdam Study and the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.
Researchers modeled night-time road traffic noise at participants’ residential addresses using national noise maps.
The analysis focused on night-time exposure because people are more likely to be at home then and because noise can interfere with sleep, the release said.
Using advanced analytical methods, the team measured 155 biomarkers from blood samples, allowing them to link long-term night-time noise exposure to specific metabolic changes detectable in blood.
The study found that changes in blood lipid measures appeared from about 50 decibels (dB) and became more pronounced as noise levels rose.
In particular, night-time road traffic noise above 55 dB was associated with higher levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, often called “bad” cholesterol, as well as other lipid-related measures, including fatty acids and cell membrane-related lipids. These indicators are widely recognized as factors related to cardiovascular and metabolic health.
For most biomarkers, the researchers reported an exposure-response pattern, meaning the higher the noise level, the more evident the changes.
Doctoral researcher Yiyan He of the University of Oulu said the findings suggest that night-time traffic noise may affect metabolic health “in a subtle but consistent way.”
While the changes for any single individual are small, she noted that very large numbers of people are exposed to traffic noise, meaning even modest shifts could have public-health implications.
Professor Sylvain Sebert, also of the University of Oulu, said the results help illuminate biological pathways that may help explain previously observed links between traffic noise and cardiovascular disease as well as related metabolic disorders, adding that environmental noise should be seen as a real health risk rather than merely a nuisance.
The researchers said reducing night-time road traffic noise could help mitigate related metabolic effects, and called for noise-reduction measures in urban planning and transport as well as building designs that prioritize quieter sleeping environments. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
