According to a new study published on May 3, 2023, in the European Heart Journal — Digital Health, if you talk on your mobile for 30 minutes or more each week, you may be raising your risk of high blood pressure. According to research author Xianhui Qin, MD, a professor at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, "the number of minutes that people talk on their mobile appears to matter for heart health, with more minutes adding up to greater risk." According to him, however, talking on a mobile for no more than 30 minutes per week may not have a significant impact on the risk of hypertension.
A systolic blood pressure of more than 130 mmHg, a diastolic blood pressure of more than 80 mmHg, or the use of hypertension medication are all considered to be indicators of hypertension. The authors note that although there has been some evidence linking short-term exposure to low amounts of radiofrequency energy emitted by mobile phones with increases in blood pressure, the results have not always been consistent.
Globally, hypertension is the leading cause of early death and a significant risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 116 million adults in the United States, or 47% of the population, have hypertension.
Through a self-reported touchscreen questionnaire, data on years of use, hours per week, and the use of a hands-free or speakerphone for making and receiving calls on cellphones were gathered at baseline. Researchers adjusted for age, body mass index, race, socioeconomic factors, family history of hypertension, education, smoking status, blood pressure, blood lipids, inflammation, blood sugar, kidney function, and use of medications to lower cholesterol or blood glucose levels in an effort to focus on the relationship between mobile phone use and hypertension.
To ascertain whether participants had a low, intermediate, or high hereditary risk of having high blood pressure, researchers utilized the biobank data. The analysis revealed that those with a high genetic risk who talked on a mobile phone for at least 30 minutes a week had a 33 percent higher likelihood of developing high blood pressure than those with a low genetic risk who spoke on a phone for less than 30 minutes a week.
"I would still use caution when interpreting these findings since, as the authors pointed out, there may still be a number of confounding factors. This study merely generated a hypothesis that would need further research to be tested, not necessarily proving a connection between talking on the phone and hypertension, according to Dr. Liu. Lakes.
Findings and the underlying mechanisms should be further evaluated in more studies," the authors concluded. The influence of other mobile phone activities, such as texting, playing games, or browsing the internet, on health endpoints was not examined in our study, which also solely examined making or receiving phone calls, according to Qi.
"We hope that our study contributes to a better understanding of the potential health risks associated with frequent use of mobile phones and encourages further research in this area," says Qi. He continues, "It's crucial that people are aware of these results and think about reducing their call time if they are worried about their blood pressure levels."
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