Mobile phone use is associated with increased risk of heart disease
A recent study linked frequent mobile phone use to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in people who smoke and suffer from diabetes. Researchers also pointed to sleep deprivation, psychological stress and neuroticism as contributing factors. The study was published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.
For the study, researchers looked at 444,027 people from the UK Biobank who had no history of cardiovascular disease and who reported the frequency of their mobile phone use between 2006 and 2010.
Regular mobile phone use was defined as at least one call per week. The composite outcome of acute stroke, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation and heart failure was determined over a mean follow-up period of 12.3 years using linked information on hospitalisation and mortality. The researchers also analysed the role of sleep patterns, psychological distress and neuroticism.
Dr Yanjun Zhang from the Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, said: “Mobile phone use is a ubiquitous exposure in modern society, so exploring its impact on health has significant public health value. Radiofrequency 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, it remains unclear whether mobile phone use is associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease.”
Co-investigator Ziliang Ye, MD, of the Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, adds, “Our aim was to evaluate the prospective association of regular mobile phone use with the occurrence of cardiovascular disease and to 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 cardiovascular disease.”
Co-investigator Xianhui Qin, MD, of the Division of Nephrology at Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, said the researchers found that sleep patterns, psychological distress, and neuroticism may be potential mechanisms of the association between mobile phone use and cardiovascular disease. Poor sleep pattern and poor mental health may negatively affect the development of cardiovascular disease through circadian rhythm disruption, endocrine and metabolic disruption, and increased inflammation.
“In addition, chronic exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field radiation emitted by mobile phones could lead to oxidative stress and an inflammatory response. Therefore, exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field radiation from mobile phones in combination with smoking and diabetes may have a synergistic effect in increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.”
Nicholas Grubic, MSc, of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto (Ontario, Canada), and co-author of the editorial, notes that while the current study suggests that mobile phone use may modestly increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, more conclusive evidence with valid measurements of mobile phone use is needed before this association becomes a concern for the general public.
She recommends that maintaining responsible mobile phone habits is a valuable component of a comprehensive approach to supporting cardiovascular health. “Before you sink hours into your smartphone today to search for meaningless information, consider redirecting this time toward a more heart-healthy activity.”
(With inputs from IANS)
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