According to a large-scale study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, regular mobile phone use was positively associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the association was partly attributed to neuroticism, poor sleep, and psychological distress.
RF-EMF radiation exposure
“Mobile phone use is a ubiquitous exposure in modern society, so exploring its impact on health has significant public health value. Radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted by mobile phones cause dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress, and are therefore expected to affect a variety of organs such as the heart and blood vessels. However, whether mobile phone use is associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases remains uncertain,” explained Yanjun Zhang, MD, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Mobile phone use and incident CVD
“We aimed to assess the prospective association of regular mobile phone use with incident cardiovascular diseases and explore the mediating effects of sleep and mental health. We found that compared with non-regular mobile phone users, regular mobile phone users had a significantly higher risk of incident cardiovascular diseases,” said co-investigator Ziliang Ye, MD, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
This study involved 444,027 participants who were enrolled in the UK Biobank without a history of CVD and reported data on the frequency of cell phone use from 2006 to 2010. Regular cell phone use was defined as being at least one call per week. Hospital and mortality records were used to compute the composite outcome of stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and coronary heart disease over a median follow-up of 12.3 years. The role of lifestyle such as neuroticism, sleep patterns, and psychological distress was also investigated as part of this study.
Alarming findings
“We found that sleep patterns, psychological distress, and neuroticism may be potential mechanisms of the association between mobile phone use and cardiovascular diseases. A poor sleep pattern and poor mental health may adversely affect the development of cardiovascular diseases through disrupted circadian rhythm, endocrine and metabolic disruption, and increased inflammation. In addition, chronic exposure to RF-EMF radiation emitted from mobile phones could lead to oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Therefore, RF-EMF radiation exposure from mobile phones in combination with smoking and diabetes may have a synergistic effect in increasing cardiovascular diseases risk,” said co-investigator Xianhui Qin, MD, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
What would this be now?
Interestingly enough, the time frame used in this study (2006 to 2010) was before the widespread use of mobile devices which are now commonly used all day long. Thus, the generalizability and current relevance of these findings need consideration as the effects are likely to be more severe due to current exposure being much greater than one weekly phone call.
To put this in more clear perspective, this study was based on one phone call a week. Current estimates are that the average person spends 4.5 hours on their phone every day, which is equivalent to over a full day per week, over 6 entire days a month, and over 70 days annually on their cell phone.
“While the current study suggests that using a mobile phone may moderately increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, more conclusive evidence with valid measurements of mobile phone use is needed before this association becomes a concern for the general public. Maintaining responsible mobile phone habits should be a valuable component of an all-encompassing approach to supporting cardiovascular health. Before diving into hours of mindless ‘doom-scrolling’ on your smartphone today, consider redirecting this time toward a more heart-healthy activity,” concluded Co-author of the editorial Nicholas Grubic, MSc, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2024.06.006
Black Mirror or Black Hole? American Phone Screen Time Statistics | OKW News
https://worldhealth.net/news/meta-analysis-shows-increased-risk-tumors-cell-phone-users/
