New Research Shows Regular Mobile Phone Use Can Increase the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases, Especially in Smokers and People with Diabetes

A new study has found that regular mobile phone use was positively associated with incident cardiovascular diseases risk, especially in current smokers and individuals with diabetes. In addition, this association was partly attributed to poor sleep, psychological distress, and neuroticism. The article opens in new tab/window in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology opens in new tab/window, published 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. Radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted by mobile phones cause dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress, and are therefore expected to affect a variety of organs such as the heart and blood vessels. However, whether mobile phone use is associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases remains uncertain."

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

The study included 444,027 individuals from the UK Biobank without a history of cardiovascular diseases who self-reported on the frequency of their mobile phone use from 2006 to 2010. Regular mobile phone use was defined as at least one call per week. Using linked hospital and mortality records, the composite outcome of incident stroke, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure was ascertained over a median followup time of 12.3 years. Researchers also investigated the role of sleep patterns, 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 of the association between mobile phone use and cardiovascular diseases. A poor sleep pattern and poor mental health may adversely affect the development of cardiovascular diseases through disrupted circadian rhythm, endocrine and metabolic disruption, and increased inflammation. In addition, chronic exposure to RF-EMF radiation emitted from mobile phones could lead to oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Therefore, RF-EMF radiation exposure from mobile phones in combination with smoking and diabetes may have a synergistic effect in increasing cardiovascular diseases risk."

An accompanying editorial opens in new tab/window contextualizes the findings of the study. 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, text messaging/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, "While the current study suggests that using a mobile phone may moderately increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, more conclusive evidence with valid measurements 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 component of an all-encompassing approach to supporting cardiovascular health. Before diving into hours of mindless ’doom-scrolling’ on your smartphone today, consider redirecting this time toward a more heart-healthy activity."

Notes for editors

The article is “Regular Mobile Phone Use and Incident Cardiovascular Diseases: Mediating Effects of Sleep Patterns, Psychological Distress, and Neuroticism,” by Yanjun Zhang, MD, Ziliang Ye, MD, Yuanyuan Zhang, MD, Sisi Yang, MD, Mengyi Liu, MD, Qimeng Wu, MD, Chun Zhou, MD, Panpan He, MD, Xiaoqin Gan, MD, and Xianhui Qin, MD (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2024.06.006 opens in new tab/window).

The article is openly available for 30 days at https://onlinecjc.ca/article/S0828-282X(24)00437-9/fulltext opens in new tab/window.

Journalists wishing to speak to the authors should contact Xianhui Qin, MD, at [email protected] opens in new tab/window.

This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (2022YFC2009600, 2022YFC2009605 and 2018ZX09739), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81973133), and the Outstanding Youths Development Scheme of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University (2017J009).

The editorial is "Is Your Smartphone a Heartbreaker? Dialing into the Connection Between Mobile Phone Use and Cardiovascular Disease," by Nicholas Grubic, MSc, Alessandra T. Andreacchi, MPH, and Brice Batomen, PhD (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2024.07.006 opens in new tab/window).

The editorial is openly available for 30 days at https://onlinecjc.ca/article/S0828-282X(24)00526-9/fulltext opens in new tab/window.

Journalists wishing to speak to the authors should contact Nicholas Grubic, MSc, at [email protected] opens in new tab/window.

Both articles appear in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier.

Full text of the articles is also available to credentialed journalists upon request. Contact Eileen Leahy at +1 732 406 1313or [email protected] opens in new tab/window for a copy of the PDFs or more information.

About the Canadian Journal of Cardiology

The Canadian Journal of Cardiology opens in new tab/window (CJC) is an international, peer-reviewed journal that disseminates new knowledge in cardiology and cardiovascular science. It is the preferred Canadian cardiovascular medicine peer-reviewed publication and is an official journal of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society opens in new tab/window (CCS). The CJC publishes original reports of clinical and basic research relevant to cardiovascular medicine, as well as practice guidelines, editorials, review articles, and case reports. www.onlinecjc.ca opens in new tab/window

About the Editor-in-Chief

Editor-in-Chief Stanley Nattel, MD, is Paul-David Chair in Cardiovascular Electrophysiology and Professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal and Director of the Electrophysiology Research Program at the Montreal Heart Institute Research Center.

About the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS)

The CCS opens in new tab/window is the national voice for cardiovascular clinicians and scientists, representing more than 2,300 cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and other heart health specialists across Canada. We advance heart health for all by setting standards for excellence in heart health and care, building the knowledge and expertise of the heart team, and influencing policy and advocating for the heart health of all Canadians. For further information on the CCS visit https://www.ccs.ca/en opens in new tab/window.

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