A new study has found that regular mobile phone use may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, especially in people who smoke or have diabetes.
The research, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, suggests that mobile phone use could affect heart health due to poor sleep, stress, and personality traits like neuroticism.
Dr. Yanjun Zhang, one of the lead researchers from Nanfang Hospital in Guangzhou, China, explains the importance of studying the effects of mobile phone use on health.
“Mobile phone use is everywhere in modern society, so it’s important to understand how it may impact public health,” he said.
Mobile phones emit radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF), which can affect the body by disrupting hormones, increasing inflammation, and causing stress on organs like the heart.
However, until now, it wasn’t clear if mobile phone use was directly linked to heart disease.
To investigate this, the research team examined data from 444,027 participants in the UK Biobank, all of whom reported their mobile phone usage between 2006 and 2010.
None of the participants had a history of cardiovascular disease when the study began.
Regular mobile phone users were defined as those who made at least one phone call per week. The researchers tracked the participants’ heart health over a period of 12.3 years to see if they developed conditions like stroke, heart disease, or heart failure.
The results showed that regular mobile phone users had a higher risk of developing heart-related issues compared to those who used their phones less often.
The researchers believe this increased risk may be linked to poor sleep, psychological distress, and personality traits like neuroticism, all of which can contribute to heart problems.
Co-investigator Dr. Xianhui Qin highlighted that poor sleep and mental health could worsen heart disease by disrupting the body’s natural rhythms, hormones, and metabolism, leading to inflammation.
The radiation from mobile phones, combined with other risk factors like smoking and diabetes, may make this effect worse.
An editorial accompanying the study pointed out that the data was collected before the widespread use of modern smartphones, which are now used for many activities besides phone calls.
Nicholas Grubic, a co-author of the editorial, cautioned that while the study suggests mobile phone use might slightly raise the risk of heart disease, more research is needed. He also encouraged people to adopt healthier phone habits as part of a heart-friendly lifestyle.
So, before you spend hours scrolling through your smartphone, consider using that time for something healthier for your heart.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and calcium supplements could harm your heart health.
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