(23-09-12) Study Shows This Could Be the Real Cause of Some Heart Attacks

by David Juan, MD

One of the risk factors for the heart arrives through the eardrums. Studies
have suggested that people who work or live in constantly loud environments may
have weakened hearts. More to the point, long-term exposure to blaring noises
is believed now to be triggering fatal heart disease.

Noise pollution is well-known, but it's not regarded as being overly important
compared to that of air or water. But that may change with this new link
showing that people are dying early after exposure to excessive noise.

PLUS: Why Summer Can Cause Hearing Loss

This idea began in 2003 when researchers started looking at the effects of
noise across Europe. They found noise caused two percent of Europeans to have
poor quality sleep (not surprising). They found that noisy traffic caused three
percent to develop ringing in the ears (also not surprising).

But these effects are nothing compared to what noise may really do. Noise can
raise the level of stress hormones in the body, such as adrenaline and
cortisol. If they stick around in the bloodstream for long enough, they begin
to raise the risk of major problems. Essentially, noise is causing stress in
the blood and this is a well-known cause of strokes, high blood pressure,
immune system disorders, and heart failure.

One figure from 2006 has it that of 101,000 British adults who died of heart
disease, more than 3,000 were caused chronic noise exposure.

And all of this happens silently inside you. In one important health
breakthrough, researchers compared families with high exposure to noise with
those in quieter environments. They also looked at people who were diagnosed
with heart problems to see if there was any crossover. This data was overlaid
on maps of Europe highlighting noisy cities.

They discovered a person's threshold for noise in the night is 50 decibels --
the sound of light traffic. Yet the planet is getting busier and noisier, and
we are more prone to stress because of it.

Do you feel stressed when startled by loud noise, or by the constant drum of
city traffic? This study shows that it could be doing you more damage than you
think. It also means that rural surroundings may be saving people's lives.
That's a stretch, but not a huge one. The World Health Organization has for
years required all mid- or large-sized cities in Europe to develop special maps
that detail where the noise of traffic is greatest.

Heart disease, matched only recently by cancer, is the leading cause of death
worldwide. All efforts to prevent it should be strongly considered. This story
goes to show, some efforts exist outside of what you eat, your lifestyle
choices, and how much you exercise.

Source: "Noise Pollution: The Sound Behind Heart Effects,"
Environ. Health Perspect., Nov. 2007; 115(11): A536-
A537.

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