Do cell phones increase the risk of heart disease? Worrying findings warrant ‘careful consideration’, researchers say

Hold the phone!

New research from China suggests a link between cell phone use and increased risk of heart disease, especially among smokers and diabetics. The study authors partly blame this link on poor sleep, psychological stress and neuroticism.

“A poor sleep pattern and poor mental health can negatively impact the development of cardiovascular disease through circadian rhythm disruption, endocrine and metabolic disruption, and increased inflammation,” explained co-investigator Dr. Xianhui Qin.

But before you silence your cell phone forever, it’s important to know that this study is based on data recorded nearly 20 years ago.

Researchers had 444,000 middle-aged adults report how often they used their phones at some point between 2006 and 2010. “Regular” cell phone use was defined as making or receiving at least one call per week — 23 % of respondents used their phones. one hour a week.

Participants were followed for about 12 years, with researchers examining hospital and death records for the incidence of stroke, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

More than 56,000 participants developed cardiovascular disease. Regular mobile phone users, particularly smokers and diabetics, experienced a “significantly higher” risk.

About 11.5% of cases were blamed for psychological distress, 5.1% for poor sleep and 2.25% for neuroticism.

The study’s limitations were highlighted in an editorial accompanying the research, which was published Wednesday in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.

“Given that the recruitment window of this study (2006-2010) occurred before the widespread use of modern smartphones, which are now more often used for other activities (eg, entertainment, text messaging, e- email, social networks), the generalizability and current relevance of these findings requires careful consideration,” said the editorial co-authored by three researchers from the University of Toronto.

The study authors also raised concerns about the health effects of radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted by cellphones.

In 2011, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified RF-EMF from mobile phones as possibly carcinogenic based on limited evidence of an increased risk of brain cancer.

However, a WHO-commissioned analysis published this week found no link between cell phone radiation and brain cancer even for people who are constantly on their phones.

“This systematic review provides the strongest evidence to date that radio waves from wireless technologies are not a risk to human health,” said Ken Karipidis, a lead author of the review.