Insights into why loud noise
is bad for your health
Whether it is loud machinery at work, a busy freeway or a nearby airport, many people are exposed to high levels of noise. Two new mouse studies provide new insight into how this type of noise exposure can lead to high blood pressure and cancer-related DNA damage.
“Large studies have linked noise exposure to health problems in people,” said Matthias Oelze, a postdoctoral fellow at the University Medical Center of Mainz in Germany. “Our new data provides additional mechanistic insights into these adverse health effects, especially high blood pressure and potentially cancer development, both leading causes of global death.”
Oelze was scheduled to present this research at the 精品国产一区二区桃色 annual meeting in April in San Diego. Though the meeting, to be held in conjunction with the , was canceled in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the research team's was published in .
“These new findings, together with our other work on noise-associated cardiovascular effects, could lead to a better understanding of how noise influences health,” Oelze said. “This information could help inform policies and regulations that better protect people against diseases related to noise exposure.”
Oelze and colleagues found that healthy mice exposed to four days of aircraft noise were more likely to develop high blood pressure. For mice with pre-established high blood pressure, this noise exposure aggravated heart damage because of a synergistic increase of oxidative stress and inflammation in the cardiovascular and neuronal systems.
In another study, the researchers observed that the same noise exposure induced oxidative DNA damage in mice. This damage led to a highly mutagenic DNA lesion that was previously associated with the development of cancer in other settings.
The researchers are currently conducting several studies on the health effects of noise, including interactions of pre-established cardiovascular diseases with noise as well as behavioral effects of noise exposure in mice.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we鈥檒l send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in Science
Science highlights or most popular articles

Understanding the roles of extracellular matrix and vesicles in valvular disease
MOSAIC scholar Cassandra Clift uses mass spectrometry and multiomics to study cardiovascular calcification and collagen dysregulation, bridging her background in bioengineering and biology to investigate extracellular vesicles and heart disease.

Lipid profiles reveal sex differences in type 2 diabetes
Researchers explored the lipid profiles of individuals with type 2 diabetes and identified potentially useful lipid biomarkers for this condition.

Serum lipids may predict early diabetes risk
Researchers found that levels of two key fatty acids may predict worsening tolerance for glucose, independent of body fat and insulin levels. In turn, these fatty acids may serve as early T2D biomarkers.

Sex and diet shape fat tissue lipid profiles in obesity
Researchers found that sex hormone levels and diet both influence inflammation and lipid composition in obesity.

Mapping the placenta鈥檚 hormone network
Study uncovers how the placenta actively metabolizes not only glucocorticoids but also novel androgens and progesterones, reshaping our understanding of pregnancy and its complications.

Biochemists and molecular biologists sweep major 2025 honors
Recent Nobel, MacArthur and Kimberly Prize honorees highlight the power of biochemistry and molecular biology to drive discovery, including immune tolerance, vaccine design and metabolic disease, and to advance medicine and improve human health.