Research shows that regular mobile phone use is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease

A new study has found that regular cell phone use is positively associated with incident cardiovascular disease risk, particularly in current smokers and individuals with diabetes. Furthermore, this association was partly attributed to poor sleep, psychological distress, and neuroticism.

The article in the Canadian Journal of Cardiologydescribes the results of this large-scale prospective cohort study.

Yanjun Zhang, MD, Department of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, explains: “Mobile phones are a ubiquitous topic in modern society. Therefore, studying their impact on health is of great significance for public health.

“Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted by mobile phones induce dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, and are expected to affect various organs such as the heart and blood vessels. However, whether mobile phone use is associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease remains uncertain.”

Co-investigator Ziliang Ye, MD, Department of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, adds: “Our aim was to assess the possible association between regular mobile phone use and new-onset cardiovascular disease and to explore the mediating effects of sleep and mental health.

“We found that regular mobile phone users had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease than non-regular mobile phone users.”

The study included 444,027 individuals from the UK Biobank with no history of cardiovascular disease who self-reported how often they had used their mobile phone between 2006 and 2010. Regular mobile phone use was defined as at least one call per week.

Using linked hospital and mortality data, the composite outcome of incident stroke, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure was assessed over a median follow-up time of 12.3 years. Researchers also examined the role of sleep patterns, psychological distress, and neuroticism.

Co-investigator Xianhui Qin, MD, Department of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, notes: “We found that sleep patterns, psychological distress and neuroticism may be possible mechanisms of the association between mobile phone use and cardiovascular disease.

“Poor sleep patterns and poor mental health can negatively influence the development of cardiovascular diseases through circadian rhythm disruption, hormonal and metabolic disruption, and increased inflammation. In addition, chronic exposure to RF-EMF radiation from mobile phones can lead to oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.

“Therefore, exposure to RF-EMF radiation from mobile phones in combination with smoking and diabetes may have a synergistic effect in increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.”

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

Co-author of the editorial Nicholas Grubic, MSc, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, ON, Canada, concludes: “Although current research 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 cell phone habits should be a valuable part of a comprehensive approach to supporting cardiovascular health. Before you sink into hours of mindless doom-scrolling on your smartphone today, consider spending that time on a more heart-healthy activity.”