Mobile Phone Use Linked to Increased Risk of High Blood Pressure
According to recent research, using a mobile phone for more than half an hour each week can increase the risk of high blood pressure by 12%. The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, found that the number of minutes spent talking on a mobile device was directly linked to heart health, with more minutes indicating greater risk.
The research was conducted using data from the UK Biobank, which included information on 212,046 individuals between the ages of 37 and 73 years who did not have high blood pressure at the start of the study. Participants were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire at baseline, which included information on their mobile phone use for making and receiving calls, including hours used each week, years of use, and whether they made use of a speakerphone or hands-free device.
The study found that individuals who used a mobile phone for making or receiving calls at least once a week had a 7% higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared to non-users. Furthermore, individuals who talked on their mobile phones for half an hour or more each week had a 12% higher risk of new-onset hypertension compared to individuals who talked less than half an hour.
The results were consistent across both genders and were not affected by years of use or whether individuals made use of a hands-free set-up. The researchers also looked at the connection between usage time and genetic hypertension risk, finding that individuals with high genetic risk who talked on a mobile for at least half an hour each week had a 33% greater chance of hypertension compared to individuals with low genetic risk who talked on the phone for less than half an hour each week.
High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for stroke and heart attack and a major cause of premature death. Approximately 1.3 billion individuals between the ages of 30 and 79 years around the world have high blood pressure. The study highlights the importance of limiting mobile phone use for making and receiving calls to less than 30 minutes each week to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.