A new study claims that phone calls may increase the risk of high blood pressure. But how can this possible?

According to the study, talking on a mobile phone for more than 30 minutes per week is linked with a 12% increased risk of high blood pressure, in contrast to those who talk for less than 30 minutes.

Longer Calls Linked to Higher Risk

According to Professor Xianhui Qin, the lead author of the study from Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, the risk of developing high blood pressure is associated with the duration of mobile phone calls, with longer calls being linked to a higher risk.

However, using a hands-free device or the duration of mobile phone usage did not affect the likelihood of developing hypertension.

Low levels of radiofrequency energy emitted by mobile phones have been associated with increases in blood pressure after short-term exposure.

Prior research on the correlation between mobile phone use and blood pressure was inconsistent, possibly due to the inclusion of various activities such as text messaging, gaming, and others. 

This study aimed to investigate the connection between phone calls and new-onset hypertension specifically. Data from the UK Biobank, consisting of 212,046 adults between the ages of 37 and 73 years without hypertension, was used by the team.  

The study collected data on participants' mobile phone usage for calls using a self-reported touchscreen questionnaire at the start of the research, which included details on the number of years of use, weekly hours spent on calls, and the use of hands-free devices/speakerphones.

Those who reported using their mobile phones for calls at least once a week were categorized as mobile phone users.

In a median follow-up of 12 years, 13,984 participants, which equates to 7% of the study population, acquired hypertension.

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Additional Findings

The study found that individuals who used mobile phones had a 7% greater chance of developing hypertension than those who did not use them.

Moreover, participants who talked on their mobiles for 30 minutes or more each week were found to have a 12% higher risk of new-onset high blood pressure than those who used their phones for less than 30 minutes per week.

The study observed that compared to participants who used their mobile phones for less than 5 minutes per week, those who used their phones for 30-59 minutes, 1-3 hours, 4-6 hours, and more than 6 hours per week had an increased risk of high blood pressure by 8%, 13%, 16%, and 25%, respectively. 

However, the duration of mobile phone usage and the use of hands-free devices/speakerphones did not show a significant association with the development of hypertension.

Furthermore, the researchers investigated the association between usage time and new-onset hypertension according to the participants' genetic risk.

The analysis revealed that the highest risk of developing high blood pressure was observed in individuals with a high genetic risk who spent at least 30 minutes per week talking on their mobile phones.

"Our findings suggest that talking on a mobile may not affect the risk of developing high blood pressure as long as weekly call time is kept below half an hour," Professor Qin said in a press release statement.

"More research is required to replicate the results, but until then it seems prudent to keep mobile phone calls to a minimum to preserve heart health."

The study was published in in the European Heart Journal Digital Health. 

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