Association of Road Traffic Noise with Obesity and the Role of Meat Intake: A Prospective Study from UK Biobank

Emerging evidence has indicated the linkage of traffic noise with cardiovascular diseases, However, there’s a lack of extensive studies exploring the linkage of traffic noise with cardio-metabolic risk factors such as obesity. Additionally, the role of diet in the associations remains unknown. The aim is to prospectively examine the linkage of road traffic noise with obesity, especially by focusing on evaluating the impact of meat. Participants recruited in the UK Biobank with at least one repeated measurement of obesity indicators including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WhR), and waist-to-height ratio (WhtR) were included. The Common Noise Assessment Methods of the simplified version were used to estimate road traffic noise exposure. Participants were categorized into “less meat intake” and “more meat intake” based on the median of meat intake, assessed by the frequency of unprocessed red meat and processed meat consumption. Modified Poisson regression models were employed to evaluate the linkage of road traffic noise with obesity. Additionally, the modification effects of meat intake on this relationship were evaluated. The incidence risk ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of overall obesity, WC-based central obesity, WhR-based central obesity, and WhtR-based central obesity were 1.11 (1.02, 1.21), 1.09 (1.03, 1.14), 1.06 (1.02, 1.10), and 1.08 (1.02, 1.13), respectively, for every 10 dB(A) increase for noise. Compared with individuals with lower meat intake, those with higher meat intake exhibited a stronger linkage of road traffic noise with central obesity. The prospective study demonstrates a linkage of road traffic noise with obesity, emphasizing the significance of diet on traffic noise-related obesity risk.