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Weekly 30-Minute Phone Calls Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Problems

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Mary McNally
Mary McNally is a UK-based author exploring the intersection of fashion, culture, and communication. With a talent for vivid storytelling, Mary's writing captures the complexities of modern life engagingly and authentically.

A recent study found that phone calls of 30 minutes or more per week are associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure and heart stress.

According to a study published in the European Heart Journal—Digital Health, those who regularly call and spend an hour a day on the phone are most likely to develop this disease.

It is estimated that nearly three-quarters of the world’s population aged 10 and over owns a mobile phone. Worldwide, about 1.3 billion adults aged 30 to 79 suffer from high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke and a leading cause of premature death worldwide. The condition can damage the arteries, making them less flexible, which reduces the flow of blood and oxygen, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Cell phones emit low levels of RF energy, which is associated with an increase in blood pressure after short exposure. The results of previous studies on mobile phone use and blood pressure have been inconsistent, perhaps because they included calls, texts, games, and so on.

A team from the Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, wanted to find out if there was a link between making and receiving phone calls and a new diagnosis of high blood pressure.

The team analyzed data from more than 200,000 British Biobank adults aged 37 to 73 who did not suffer from high blood pressure. They collected information on mobile phone use through a questionnaire.

The questionnaire included questions about how many years participants used a mobile phone, how many hours per week they spent using it, and whether they used a speakerphone or a Bluetooth hands-free device.

Researchers analyzed the association between mobile phone use and new onset blood pressure after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, race, deprivation, family history of high blood pressure, education, smoking status, blood pressure, blood lipids, inflammation, blood glucose , kidney function, and the use of medicines to lower cholesterol or blood glucose levels.

Over 12 years of follow-up, the researchers found that participants who talked on cell phones for 30 minutes or more per week had a 12% higher risk of developing high blood pressure than those who spent less time on phone calls. This is equivalent to talking on the phone for only four minutes and 17 seconds a day.

Looking at the results in more detail, they found that people who spent more than six hours a week on the phone had a 25% higher risk of high blood pressure than those who spent less than five minutes on phone calls or answers.

The number of years participants used a mobile phone, or whether they used a hands-free device connected to the phone, did not appear to affect the level of risk.

Professor Shihanui Chen, one of the authors of the study, said: “The number of minutes people spend talking on a cell phone is important for heart health, and the more minutes, the higher the risk. Our results show that talking on a cell phone may not increase heart rate”. risk of developing high blood pressure if weekly contact time is less than half an hour.

“More studies are needed to replicate the results, but until then, it seems prudent to keep cell phone calls to a minimum to preserve heart health.”

Source: Daily Mail

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