Regular use of mobile phones could trigger more strokes, heart attacks and heart failure.
- A study shows that mobile phone use could increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases due to its effects on sleep and the psyche.
- Cardiovascular diseases are those that affect the heart and all blood vessels.
- In France, they are the second leading cause of death just after cancer, being responsible for more than 140,000 deaths each year.
This may seem surprising, but a new study shows that regular use of a mobile phone can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly in smokers and diabetics.
The research involved 444,027 people recruited from the UK Biobank. The selected participants had no history of cardiovascular disease and all reported the frequency of mobile phone use between 2006 and 2010.
“Regular use” Using a cell phone was defined by the researchers as making at least one call per week.
Cardiovascular diseases and mobile phones: what are the possible links?
“We found that sleep habits, psychological distress and neuroticism may be potential mechanisms for the association between mobile phone use and cardiovascular disease,” says study author Xianhui Qin. “Poor sleep and poor mental health can negatively impact the development of cardiovascular disease through circadian rhythm disruption, endocrine disruption, metabolic disruption and increased inflammation,” he explains.
“In addition, chronic exposure to radiation emitted by mobile phones can lead to oxidative stress and an inflammatory response. Therefore, exposure to mobile phone radiation, combined with smoking and diabetes, could have a synergistic effect on increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.” he adds.
“Although our study suggests that mobile phone use may modestly increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, more conclusive evidence is needed before this association becomes a matter of concern to the general public,” “The study’s co-author Nicholas Grubic said in an editorial associated with the research.
“Before you dive into hours of mind-numbing doomscrolling on your smartphone, consider redirecting that time to a more heart-healthy activity,” he nevertheless advises.
Cardiovascular diseases and mobile phones: the limits of the study
Despite the contribution of elements as surprising as they are interesting, the main limitation of this large study is that the use of mobile phones was not the same between 2006 and 2010 as it is today.
Cardiovascular diseases are those that affect the heart and all blood vessels such as atherosclerosis, heart rhythm disorders, myocardial infarction, heart failure or strokes.
Cardiovascular diseases and their complications are the leading cause of death in the world. In France, they are the second leading cause of death just after cancer, being responsible for more than 140,000 deaths each year.
