How to reduce mortality from coronary heart disease, scientists suggested

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Scientists of the Barcelona Institute of global health assessed the level of noise generated by road traffic and its impact on the health of residents of 749 large European cities. As a result, the researchers came to the conclusion: if you reduce the noise level, you can reduce the mortality from coronary heart disease.

Previous studies have linked environmental noise with a number of adverse health effects. These include, in particular, sleep disturbances, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cognitive impairment, poor mental health, and premature mortality.

Long-term exposure to road noise can cause a persistent stress reaction, scientists explain. It leads to the release of stress hormones and an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. All of this, in turn, provokes chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases.

The results showed that more than 48% of the 123 million adults aged 20 and over included in the study were exposed to noise levels that exceeded the recommended by the World Organization health care (WHO) threshold. Specifically, the organization's recommendation states that the average noise level recorded over a 24-hour period should not exceed 53dB.

Based on studies that have established a link between noise and coronary heart disease-related mortality, the researchers estimated , that adherence to WHO recommendations prevents more than 3,600 deaths annually from this disease alone. “We suspect that adverse effects may occur even when exposed to lower levels of noise,” says one of the authors of the study, Sasha Khomenko.