Researchers found that talking on a mobile phone for 30 minutes or more per week was associated with a 12 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension. About three-quarters of the world’s population is over the age of 10 and has a mobile phone. The study states that mobile phones emit low levels of radiofrequency energy, which has been linked to increased blood pressure after short-term exposure.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke and a leading cause of premature death globally. “The number of minutes people spend talking on mobiles matters for heart health, with more minutes meaning more risk,” said study author Jianhui Qin from Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
“Years of using or employing a hands-free set-up had no effect on the likelihood of developing high blood pressure. More studies are needed to confirm the findings,” said Qin. The study is published in the European Heart Journal – Digital Health.
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A total of 212,046 adults aged 37 to 73 without high blood pressure were included in the study, using data from UK Biobank to examine the relationship between talking phone calls and new-onset hypertension.
Information on use of a mobile phone for making and receiving calls was collected at baseline via a self-reported touchscreen questionnaire, which included years of use, hours per week, and hands-free device/speakerphone use.
Over an average follow-up of 12 years, 13,984 (7 percent) of the participants developed high blood pressure. Mobile phone users, who for the purposes of this study used a mobile phone at least once a week to make and receive phone calls, were found to have a 7 percent higher risk of high blood pressure than non-users.
Those who talked on their mobile for 30 minutes or more per week were 12 percent more likely to have new-onset high blood pressure than participants who spent less than 30 minutes on phone calls. The results were similar for women and men.
Weekly use times of 30–59 minutes, 1–3 hours, 4–6 hours, and more than 6 hours were associated with an 8 percent, 13 percent, 16 percent, and 25 percent increased risk of high blood pressure, respectively. Hands-free device/speakerphone use and years of use were not significantly related to the development of hypertension.
A genetic risk analysis showed that people with a high genetic risk were 33 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure for at least 30 minutes of talking on the phone and less than 30 minutes a day, compared to those with a low genetic risk. It costs to talk on the phone. ,
“More research is needed to replicate the results, but until then it seems prudent to keep mobile phone calls to a minimum to preserve heart health,” said Qin.