A Noisy Neighborhood May Raise Heart Disease Risk

Living in a noisy neighborhood may be more than just annoying, it may raise the risk for serious heart issues. Among a group of 500 healthy adults, researchers found that those who lived in areas with higher levels of ambient noise have up to a three-times greater risk for heart attack, stroke, or another major cardiovascular event than participants from quieter areas. Further analysis showed that participants from noisier neighborhoods tended to have greater activity in their amygdale (a region of the brain involved in stress regulation) and more inflammation in their arteries, which has been associated with an elevated risk for cardiovascular problems. Lead researcher Dr. Azar Radfar notes, “We are not the first group talking about noise and cardiovascular disease… What we really show here is the mechanism linking noise to major adverse cardiovascular events.” American Heart Association, November 2018