Associations of road traffic noise with adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content – Results from the German National Cohort (NAKO)

Little is known about the relation between traffic noise exposure, an established environmental risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and early obesity-related risk markers such as adipose tissue (AT) and hepatic fat. Therefore, we aimed to assess associations of long-term road traffic noise expos...

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Main Authors: Fiona Niedermayer, Susanne Rospleszcz, Clara Matthiessen, Barbara Hoffmann, Sophia Stoecklein, Tobias Haueise, Tobias Norajitra, Christopher L. Schlett, Johanna Nattenmüller, Fabian Bamberg, Jürgen Machann, Matthias Günther, Jochen Hirsch, Rajini Nagrani, Henry Völzke, Claudia Meinke-Franze, Norbert Hosten, Tobias Nonnenmacher, Bettina Katalin Budai, Viktoria Palm, Verena Katzke, Karin Halina Greiser, Jeanette Schulz-Menger, Thoralf Niendorf, Beate Endemann, Tobias Pischon, Jeroen Staab, Marco Dallavalle, Alexandra Schneider, Kathrin Wolf, Annette Peters
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Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Environment International
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025003174
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author Fiona Niedermayer
Susanne Rospleszcz
Clara Matthiessen
Barbara Hoffmann
Sophia Stoecklein
Tobias Haueise
Tobias Norajitra
Christopher L. Schlett
Johanna Nattenmüller
Fabian Bamberg
Jürgen Machann
Matthias Günther
Jochen Hirsch
Rajini Nagrani
Henry Völzke
Claudia Meinke-Franze
Norbert Hosten
Tobias Nonnenmacher
Bettina Katalin Budai
Viktoria Palm
Verena Katzke
Karin Halina Greiser
Jeanette Schulz-Menger
Thoralf Niendorf
Beate Endemann
Tobias Pischon
Jeroen Staab
Marco Dallavalle
Alexandra Schneider
Kathrin Wolf
Annette Peters
author_facet Fiona Niedermayer
Susanne Rospleszcz
Clara Matthiessen
Barbara Hoffmann
Sophia Stoecklein
Tobias Haueise
Tobias Norajitra
Christopher L. Schlett
Johanna Nattenmüller
Fabian Bamberg
Jürgen Machann
Matthias Günther
Jochen Hirsch
Rajini Nagrani
Henry Völzke
Claudia Meinke-Franze
Norbert Hosten
Tobias Nonnenmacher
Bettina Katalin Budai
Viktoria Palm
Verena Katzke
Karin Halina Greiser
Jeanette Schulz-Menger
Thoralf Niendorf
Beate Endemann
Tobias Pischon
Jeroen Staab
Marco Dallavalle
Alexandra Schneider
Kathrin Wolf
Annette Peters
author_sort Fiona Niedermayer
collection DOAJ
description Little is known about the relation between traffic noise exposure, an established environmental risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and early obesity-related risk markers such as adipose tissue (AT) and hepatic fat. Therefore, we aimed to assess associations of long-term road traffic noise exposure with AT depots measures from whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We analyzed cross-sectional data from 11,343 participants from the population-based German National Cohort (NAKO) who underwent MRI examination between 2014 and 2016, considering visceral (VAT), subcutaneous abdominal (SCAAT), subcutaneous thoracic AT (SCTAT) and hepatic fat content as outcomes. Annual road traffic noise (Lden) data from the year 2017 (source: central EIONET data repository) was used to calculate weighted mean noise levels on a continuous scale within 10 and 100-meter buffers of participants’ residencies. Among 11,101 participants with complete outcome data, 48.7 % were women, and the mean age was 51.9 years. Higher annual Lden was associated with increased AT depots and hepatic fat content in men (e.g., VAT: 1.72 %-change [95 % confidence interval: [0.14 %; 3.30 %]; SCAAT: 2.18 %-change [0.43 %; 3.93 %], hepatic fat content: 3.57 %-change [1.41 %; 5.78 %] per 10 dB(A) increase in Lden (10 m)) and women (e.g., VAT: 3.13 %-change [1.09 %; 5.18 %]; SCAAT: 2.38 %-change [0.55 %; 4.20 %], hepatic fat content: 3.08 %-change [1.00 %; 5.21 %] per 10 dB(A) increase in Lden (10 m)). Associations were robust with all outcomes after adjusting for air pollutants and surrounding greenness, and effect modification by obesity and hypertension was observed for SCAAT, SCTAT and hepatic fat content. Our findings indicate that annual exposure to road traffic noise is associated with increased adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content, and thus present novel evidence for the cross-sectional association between noise and early MRI-derived metabolic health markers.
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spelling doaj-art-7ada26cd3c124bff845f2164ab1f2abc2025-08-20T03:21:59ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202025-07-0120110956610.1016/j.envint.2025.109566Associations of road traffic noise with adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content – Results from the German National Cohort (NAKO)Fiona Niedermayer0Susanne Rospleszcz1Clara Matthiessen2Barbara Hoffmann3Sophia Stoecklein4Tobias Haueise5Tobias Norajitra6Christopher L. Schlett7Johanna Nattenmüller8Fabian Bamberg9Jürgen Machann10Matthias Günther11Jochen Hirsch12Rajini Nagrani13Henry Völzke14Claudia Meinke-Franze15Norbert Hosten16Tobias Nonnenmacher17Bettina Katalin Budai18Viktoria Palm19Verena Katzke20Karin Halina Greiser21Jeanette Schulz-Menger22Thoralf Niendorf23Beate Endemann24Tobias Pischon25Jeroen Staab26Marco Dallavalle27Alexandra Schneider28Kathrin Wolf29Annette Peters30Chair of Epidemiology, IBE, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Munich, Germany; Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München (GmbH), German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany; Corresponding author at: Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München (GmbH), German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany; Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, GermanyInstitute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, GermanyInstitute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Radiology, University Hospital of Munich, LMU Munich, Munich, GermanyInstitute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases, Helmholtz Munich at the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, GermanyDivision of Medical Image Computing, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Pattern Analysis and Learning Group, Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, GermanyDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Institute for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Hirslanden Clinic St. Anna, Lucerne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, GermanyInstitute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases, Helmholtz Munich at the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany; Section on Experimental Radiology, Department for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS, Bremen, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS, Bremen, GermanyDepartment Epidemiological Methods and Etiological Research, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, GermanyInstitute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, GermanyInstitute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, GermanyDepartment of Radiology, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, GermanyDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; Translational Lung Research Center (TLRC), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), University of Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; Translational Lung Research Center (TLRC), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), University of Heidelberg, Germany; Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology with Nuclear Medicine, Thoraxklinik Heidelberg, Heidelberg, GermanyDivision of Cancer Epidemiology (C020), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, GermanyDivision of Cancer Epidemiology (C020), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, GermanyCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, ECRC Experimental and Clinical Research Center a joint cooperation between Charite and MDC, Lindenberger Weg 80, 13125 Berlin, Germany; DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin, Berlin, GermanyMax Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (BUFF), Berlin, GermanyMax-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Berlin, GermanyMax-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Berlin, Germany; Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Biobank Technology Platform, Berlin, Germany; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyGerman Remote Sensing Data Center, German Aerospace Center, Weßling, GermanyInstitute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München (GmbH), German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, GermanyInstitute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München (GmbH), German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, GermanyInstitute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München (GmbH), German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, GermanyChair of Epidemiology, IBE, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Munich, Germany; Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München (GmbH), German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, GermanyLittle is known about the relation between traffic noise exposure, an established environmental risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and early obesity-related risk markers such as adipose tissue (AT) and hepatic fat. Therefore, we aimed to assess associations of long-term road traffic noise exposure with AT depots measures from whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We analyzed cross-sectional data from 11,343 participants from the population-based German National Cohort (NAKO) who underwent MRI examination between 2014 and 2016, considering visceral (VAT), subcutaneous abdominal (SCAAT), subcutaneous thoracic AT (SCTAT) and hepatic fat content as outcomes. Annual road traffic noise (Lden) data from the year 2017 (source: central EIONET data repository) was used to calculate weighted mean noise levels on a continuous scale within 10 and 100-meter buffers of participants’ residencies. Among 11,101 participants with complete outcome data, 48.7 % were women, and the mean age was 51.9 years. Higher annual Lden was associated with increased AT depots and hepatic fat content in men (e.g., VAT: 1.72 %-change [95 % confidence interval: [0.14 %; 3.30 %]; SCAAT: 2.18 %-change [0.43 %; 3.93 %], hepatic fat content: 3.57 %-change [1.41 %; 5.78 %] per 10 dB(A) increase in Lden (10 m)) and women (e.g., VAT: 3.13 %-change [1.09 %; 5.18 %]; SCAAT: 2.38 %-change [0.55 %; 4.20 %], hepatic fat content: 3.08 %-change [1.00 %; 5.21 %] per 10 dB(A) increase in Lden (10 m)). Associations were robust with all outcomes after adjusting for air pollutants and surrounding greenness, and effect modification by obesity and hypertension was observed for SCAAT, SCTAT and hepatic fat content. Our findings indicate that annual exposure to road traffic noise is associated with increased adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content, and thus present novel evidence for the cross-sectional association between noise and early MRI-derived metabolic health markers.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025003174ObesityHepatic steatosisMetabolic diseaseEnvironment
spellingShingle Fiona Niedermayer
Susanne Rospleszcz
Clara Matthiessen
Barbara Hoffmann
Sophia Stoecklein
Tobias Haueise
Tobias Norajitra
Christopher L. Schlett
Johanna Nattenmüller
Fabian Bamberg
Jürgen Machann
Matthias Günther
Jochen Hirsch
Rajini Nagrani
Henry Völzke
Claudia Meinke-Franze
Norbert Hosten
Tobias Nonnenmacher
Bettina Katalin Budai
Viktoria Palm
Verena Katzke
Karin Halina Greiser
Jeanette Schulz-Menger
Thoralf Niendorf
Beate Endemann
Tobias Pischon
Jeroen Staab
Marco Dallavalle
Alexandra Schneider
Kathrin Wolf
Annette Peters
Associations of road traffic noise with adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content – Results from the German National Cohort (NAKO)
Environment International
Obesity
Hepatic steatosis
Metabolic disease
Environment
title Associations of road traffic noise with adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content – Results from the German National Cohort (NAKO)
title_full Associations of road traffic noise with adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content – Results from the German National Cohort (NAKO)
title_fullStr Associations of road traffic noise with adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content – Results from the German National Cohort (NAKO)
title_full_unstemmed Associations of road traffic noise with adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content – Results from the German National Cohort (NAKO)
title_short Associations of road traffic noise with adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content – Results from the German National Cohort (NAKO)
title_sort associations of road traffic noise with adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content results from the german national cohort nako
topic Obesity
Hepatic steatosis
Metabolic disease
Environment
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025003174
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