Long term exposure to transportation noise especially from Railways May Raise Diabetes Risk, Study of Nearly 1 Million Finds
USA: Long-term exposure to transportation noise—especially from railways—may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a large retrospective cohort study published in Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism has shown. The research was led by Jad Ardakani from the Center for Cardiovascular Computational and Precision Health (C3PH), Department of Cardiology at Houston Methodist.
Although environmental noise has increasingly been viewed as a cardiometabolic stressor, its specific association with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has remained unclear. To explore this link, investigators analyzed data from the Houston Methodist Learning Health System Registry between 2016 and 2023. Adults without diabetes at baseline were included, resulting in a cohort of 984,658 individuals who collectively contributed more than 2.1 million person-years of follow-up.
Noise exposure was determined at the census block group level using the 2020 U.S. Department of Transportation National Transportation Noise Map. The researchers assessed five categories of transportation noise: road, rail, aviation, combined road plus aviation, and total transportation noise. Participants were grouped into predefined exposure levels—quiet (≤45 dB), moderate (45–54 dB), and loud (≥55 dB). Statistical analyses were conducted using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for age, sex, race, cardiometabolic risk factors, socioeconomic vulnerability, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure.
The key findings were as follows:
- During follow-up, 39,587 participants developed type 2 diabetes, with an incidence rate of 1.88 cases per 100 person-years.
- Exposure to loud rail noise was associated with a 14% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes (HR 1.14).
- Loud total transportation noise was linked to a 17% increased risk of diabetes (HR 1.17).
- Each 10-decibel increase in rail noise was associated with a 9% higher risk of incident diabetes (HR 1.09).
- Every 10-decibel rise in road traffic noise corresponded to a 4% increase in diabetes risk (HR 1.04).
- Although effect sizes were modest, the associations were consistent across statistical models and aligned with previous environmental noise research.
The researchers note that plausible biological pathways may explain these findings. Chronic exposure to transportation noise can disrupt sleep and activate stress-related neuroendocrine responses, including heightened sympathetic activity and cortisol release—mechanisms known to impair glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
Overall, the study adds to growing evidence that environmental exposures beyond traditional lifestyle risk factors may influence diabetes risk. The authors call for further research to clarify causal pathways and to assess whether noise reduction strategies could contribute to improved metabolic health at the population level.
Reference:
Ardakani, J.; Shahid, I.; Gullapelli, R.; Ahmed, E.N.; Bose, B.; Hahad, O.; Moin, Z.; Nicolas, J.C.; Javed, Z.; Dong, W.; et al. Transportation noise exposure and incident type 2 diabetes: A retrospective cohort study in a large U.S. healthcare system.. 2026, https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.70499.
Next Story