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Researchers link prolonged exposure to aircraft noise to increased body mass index in the United States. A consequence of noise pollution, which could be added to the long list of deleterious effects on the health of local residents.
Not very pleasant to hear planes passing over your garden or from your window all day long. A situation that people living near airports know well. But this noise pollution would have an unknown effect on health: it could promote weight gain.
Airplane noise pollution makes your weight soar
Researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health and Oregon State University (OSU) have just published a study in the journal Environment International. Based on their findings, aircraft noise above 45 decibels could be linked to a higher and modified body mass index (BMI) from the age of 18. “A sound level of 45 decibels (dB) is just above the muffled sounds of a library (40 dB) and is quieter than a typical conversation at home (50 dB)“, specify the authors of the work in a press release.
The study was carried out in the United States, using data collected between 1995 and 2010 from 74,848 nurses living around the 90 main American airports. The researchers examined aircraft noise levels every five years during this period, based on a 24-hour time frame, while taking into account variations in noise depending on the day and night. The change in BMI from the age of 18 was also calculated.
More impact for older people and young adults…and former smokers
The study results suggest that the link between aircraft noise pollution and the risk of weight gain appears stronger in older people than in younger adults. Stronger associations were also observed among participants living on the west coast of the United States, in areas with an arid climate, as well as among former smokers.
“In our modern world, noise continually surrounds us and our bodies may not have adapted to this constant input of noise. Noise influences stress responses, which can trigger a series of events that can lead to increased BMI and, later, disease“, supposes Junenette Peters, co-author of the research.
If the authors of the study have not established the reason why former smokers seem particularly concerned, they nevertheless hypothesize concerning regional disparities. “Study participants living in the West may be more exposed to aircraft noise due to open windows or housing type, which allowed more noise to penetrate“.
If this study chooses an innovative approach by exploring a link between exposure to aircraft noise and obesity on a national scale in the United States, it is however far from being the first to point out the deleterious effects of airport noise pollution on our health. Aviation noise pollution is notably associated with sleep disorders or an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes. A French research published in 2020 also established a risk of higher mortality from myocardial infarction among residents of municipalities most exposed to aircraft noise.