Living on a busy road can increase your risk of developing this condition

Living near busy streets and noisy neighborhoods is usually not the first choice for someone looking to move. And now, according to a new study, this living situation is more complicated than a simple inconvenience; This situation increases your chances of developing heart disease.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that prolonged exposure to loud noises and air pollution was linked to heart failure, particularly in women, who made up the majority of the study participants.

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Photo by Robina Weermeijer

“We found that long-term exposure to certain air pollutants and road traffic noise increases the risk of heart failure, especially for ex-smokers or people with high blood pressure. Youn-Hee Lim. She said the researchers were initially intrigued by the way air pollution is and road traffic noise interact and whether or not it affects people.

The researchers analyzed the data from over 22,000 women ages 44 and older, whose statistics were followed over a period of 20 years. The study monitored all sorts of information from particulate matter levels, nitrogen dioxide from cars, buses, and more to road traffic noise in decibels. The results showed that exposure to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter increased the risk of heart failure. Noise pollution also increased this risk, albeit to a lesser extent. Women polluted by noise and contaminated airborne particles were at greatest risk of developing heart failure.

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While many of these factors are beyond the control of participants and should be addressed by governments and other responsible parties, lifestyle choices such as negative side effects have been.

Sometimes where you live cannot be improved, but lifestyle choices could help balance your situation.