Noise and anxiety or depression linked to added cardiovascular risk
Cardiovascular event risk increased across groups with neither, one or both exposures; the adjusted hazard ratio, a relative rate measure, was 1.17.
Our read
Populations- Studied:
- Cohort study of 25,906 people from the Mass General Brigham Biobank
- What changed:
- Cardiovascular event risk was higher with more exposures (adjusted hazard ratio 1.17)
- The catch:
- Noise exposure was estimated from home addresses rather than measured directly
- In the record:
- The 168th paper on heart rate variability with results in people; 647 on record in all.
- Why it’s aging research:
- It bears on staying healthy in midlife and later life.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In 25,906 people from the Mass General Brigham Biobank, a retrospective observational study examined transportation noise alongside diagnoses of anxiety or depression. Researchers used medical codes and surveys to identify diagnoses and major cardiovascular events—serious events involving the heart or blood vessels. They estimated annual average round-the-clock noise at home, classifying levels above 45 decibels on a scale adjusted for human hearing as elevated. Anxiety or depression counted as one exposure, and elevated noise as the other.
More exposures were linked to higher cardiovascular event risk after accounting for cardiovascular risk factors and other social and environmental factors. Available clinical measurements linked more exposures to greater stress-related brain activity and less variation between heartbeats. Statistical analysis suggested that lower heartbeat variability helped account for the cardiovascular link. The association with a blood marker of inflammation was not statistically significant.
Why it matters
Cardiovascular disease is an age-related health concern. The authors suggested that people with both exposures may benefit from interventions combining environmental and psychosocial approaches.
Caveats
This retrospective observational study cannot establish cause and effect, including the proposed role of heartbeat variability. Noise was estimated from home addresses, and biological measurements came from available clinical data.
The paper
Harvard University
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Aug 10, 2026
Presented at AHA Scientific Sessions 2025 as an abstract
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