2023-05-05 01:07:25
“What matters for heart health is the number of minutes people spend on their mobile phones, as longer time means higher risk,” says study author Professor Xianhui Qin, from Southern Medical University. from Guangzhou (China). “Years of use or use of a hands-free device did not influence the likelihood of developing hypertension.”
The results of this study have been published in the «European Heart Journal».
Nearly three quarters of the world’s population over the age of 10 own a mobile phone. Nearly 1.3 billion adults between the ages of 30 and 79 suffer from hypertension. Hypertension is one of the main risk factors for myocardial infarction and stroke and one of the main causes of premature death worldwide.
Mobile phones emit low levels of radio frequency energywhich have been related with increases in blood pressure after a short duration exposure. However, the results of previous studies on mobile phone use and blood pressure were inconsistent, potentially because they included calls, text messages, games, etc.
This study examined the relationship between doing and receiving phone calls and new-onset hypertension.
Data was used from UK Biobank. A total of 212,046 adults aged 37 to 73 years without hypertension were included. Information on the use of a mobile phone to make and receive calls was collected using a self-reported tactile questionnaire at baseline, which included years of use, hours per week, and use of a hands-free/speaker device. Participants who used a mobile phone at least once a week to make or receive calls were defined as mobile phone users.
Investigators analyzed the relationship between mobile phone use and new-onset hypertension after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, race, deprivation, family history of hypertension, education, smoking, blood pressure, blood lipids , inflammation, blood glucose, kidney function, and use of medications to lower cholesterol or blood glucose levels.
Looking at the results in more detail, compared to participants who spent less than 5 minutes per week making or receiving mobile calls, weekly usage time of 30-59 minutes, 1-3 hours, 4-6 hours and more than 6 hours was associated with an 8%, 13%, 16%, and 25% higher risk of developing arterial hypertension, respectively. Among mobile phone users, years of use and use of a hands-free/speakerphone device were not significantly associated with the development of hypertension.
It seems prudent to minimize mobile calls to preserve heart health
They also examined the relationship between wearing time (less than 30 minutes vs. 30 minutes or more) and new-onset hypertension based on whether participants had a low, intermediate, or high genetic risk of developing hypertension. Genetic risk was determined using data from the UK Biobank.
The analysis showed that people with high genetic risk who spent at least 30 minutes a week talking on their mobile phones were 33% more likely to develop high blood pressure compared to those with low genetic risk. who spend less than 30 minutes a week on the phone.
«Our results suggest that talking on the mobile may not affect the risk of developing arterial hypertension as long as the weekly call time is keep below half an hour».
More studies are needed to replicate the results, but until then it seems prudent to minimize mobile calls to preserve heart health, Qin acknowledges.
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