Research work living at the airport makes you fat

Living near the airport makes you fat

07/05/2014

According to a new study, people living near an airport are at greater risk of getting fat. As the level of aircraft noise increased, so did the waist circumference.

Living near the airport makes you fat
People who live near an airport run the risk of getting fat. This has resulted in a new study. Accordingly, the waist circumference increases with an increase in noise level by five decibels on average by 1.5 centimeters, so the central result of a study by scientists of the Swedish Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The effect is due to an increased release of stress hormones because of the noise - especially cortisol.

Aircraft noise causes health problems
For the study, 5,000 subjects near the Swedish capital were continuously examined over a period of eight to ten years. The measurement results were set in relation to the development of the noise level of the nearby airport. Their results published the researchers in the journal „Environmental Health Perspectives“. Even older studies have already shown that aircraft noise can be associated with health problems.

Higher stroke risk
For example, scientists from the United Kingdom and the United States have found evidence that people living near London's Heathrow Airport are up to 25 percent more likely to get heart disease or stroke during their lifetime. Studies have also shown a biological relationship between nocturnal aircraft noise and high blood pressure. The human body responds to noise with stress, which can subsequently lead to difficulty concentrating, sleeping disorders or a general weakening of the immune system. (Sb)