Regular mobile phone use is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease in smokers and diabetics

A new study has found that regular cell phone use is positively associated with cardiovascular disease risk, particularly among current smokers and people with diabetes. In addition, this association has been partly attributed to sleep deprivation, psychological distress and neuroticism. The article published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiologypublished by Elsevier, details the results of this large-scale prospective cohort study.

Yanjun Zhang, MD, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, explains: “Mobile phone use is a ubiquitous exposure in modern society, so exploring its impact on health has significant public health value. Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) Radiation emitted by mobile phones causes dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress, and is therefore likely to affect various organs such as the heart and blood vessels. However, it is still unclear whether mobile phone use is associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Co-investigator Ziliang Ye, MD, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, adds: “We aimed to assess the prospective association between regular mobile phone use and cardiovascular disease and to explore the mediating effects of sleep and mental health. We found that, compared with occasional mobile phone users, regular mobile phone users had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease.”

The study involved 444,027 people from the UK Biobank with no history of cardiovascular disease who self-reported the frequency of their mobile phone use between 2006 and 2010. Regular mobile phone use was defined as at least one call per week. Using hospital records and linked mortality records, the composite outcome of stroke, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation and heart failure was determined over a median follow-up period of 12.3 years. The researchers also investigated the role of sleep habits, psychological distress and neuroticism.

Co-investigator Xianhui Qin, MD, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, notes, “We found that sleep patterns, psychological distress, and neuroticism may be potential mechanisms for the association between mobile phone use and cardiovascular disease. Poor sleep and poor mental health may impair the development of cardiovascular disease by disrupting the circadian rhythm, causing endocrine and metabolic disruption, and increasing inflammation. In addition, chronic exposure to RF-EMF radiation emitted by mobile phones could lead to oxidative stress and an inflammatory response. Therefore, exposure to RF-EMF radiation from mobile phones, combined with smoking and diabetes, may have a synergistic effect on increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.”

An editorial accompanying the study contextualizes the study findings. Given that the recruitment period for this study (2006–2010) occurred before the widespread use of modern smartphones, which are now more commonly used for other activities (e.g., entertainment, text messaging/email, social networking, etc.), the generalizability and current relevance of these findings require careful consideration.

Nicholas Grubic, MSc, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, ON, Canada, co-author of the editorial, concludes: “Although the current study suggests that mobile phone use may modestly increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, more conclusive evidence with valid measures of mobile phone use is needed before this association becomes a concern for the general public. Maintaining responsible mobile phone habits should be a valuable part of a comprehensive approach to supporting cardiovascular health. Before you spend hours mindlessly browsing your smartphone, consider redirecting that time to a more heart-healthy activity.