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New study Living on large streets increases the risk of dementia
Street noise can harm your health - studies show that time and again. Bad air and lots of noise drive, for example the blood pressure in the air and can cause depressive moods. Canadian researchers have now recognized that living near a busy street could potentially increase the risk of dementia. Their results published the scientists in the journal "The Lancet".
Noise and pollution pose a health hazard
Do people who live on a busy street have a higher risk of neurodegenerative diseases? Researchers around Hong Chen from the health department of the Canadian province of Ontario have now addressed this question. In a large-scale study, the team investigated the link between exposure to ongoing street noise and air pollution and the development of dementia, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.
If you live directly on a very busy street, you could possibly have a slightly higher risk of dementia. (Image: Ralf Gosch / fotolia.com) Researchers examine the influence of the place of residence on disease risk
For more than a decade (2001 and 2012), the researchers have monitored about 6.6 million adults between the ages of 20 and 85 who live in the Canadian province of Ontario, the health agency said in a news release. The inclusion of postcodes showed that almost all participants (95%) of the study lived less than a mile away from a major road, half of them within a 200-meter radius.
More than 243,000 people develop dementia
The scientists also analyzed medical records to see how many people developed neurodegenerative disease over time. It was found that more than 243,000 people had dementia during the study. 31,500 people were in the time of Parkinson's and 9250 people suffering from multiple sclerosis.
In order to assess the extent to which the proximity of the place of residence to the street had an influence on the risk of disease, the scientists divided the subjects into different groups - depending on how far they lived from a busy street. Likewise, the experts considered further risk factors in their analysis such as the level of education and the body mass index (BMI).
Seven times higher risk in direct proximity to the road
It turned out that the development of Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis did not appear to be related to the proximity of the place of residence to the street. However, this was not the case with dementia, where researchers found that people living less than 50 meters from a busy street had a seven percent or greater risk of the disease than those living further away.
According to the report, a distance of 50 to 100 meters between home and street meant a 4 percent increase in risk; between 101 and 200 meters, the risk of dementia was still 2 percent greater. Those who lived more than 200 meters away, according to the results, no increased risk, the health authority continues.
Further research necessary
One reason for the increased risk of disease in the immediate vicinity of the street researchers could be the resulting increased particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels. But there must be other factors added, so the experts' objection. Possible would be e.g. the road noise or other pollutants.
"Our study suggests that busy streets could be a source of environmental pollution that could promote the onset of dementia," study director Hong Chen said. "Now more research is needed to understand this relationship, especially in terms of the impact of different aspects of transport, such as air pollutants and noise," the expert explained. (No)