Exposure to loud aircraft noises could lead to obesity: study

Regular exposure to loud aircraft noise could be linked to obesity, according to a new study found. 

Nurses living near airports nationwide who endured plane noise 45 decibels or greater were 5% more likely to be obese, Boston University and Oregon State University researchers wrote in a recent Environment International paper.  

The risk of obesity increased with louder noise: at 55 decibels or greater, people had an 11% greater likelihood of having an obese-level body mass index.

“Prior research has shown that aircraft noise can elevate stress responses and disturb sleep, but there has been mixed evidence of any links with body mass index,” said Dr. Matthew Bozigar, assistant professor of epidemiology at OSU and lead study author. 

“We were surprised to see a fairly robust link between aircraft noise and higher body mass index among women across the US.”

The study’s authors analyzed nearly 75,000 nurses’ responses to biannual surveys detailing their BMIs, and focused on those who lived near 90 major airports nationwide.

They examined average aircraft noise levels captured over a 24-hour period every five years from 1995 to 2010.