To Your Health
September, 2024 (Vol. 18, Issue 09) |
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Cellphones: Bad for the Heart?
By Editorial Staff
Heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in the U.S., accountable for an estimated one in five deaths. While the leading factors contributing the heart disease are high blood pressure and high cholesterol, the lifestyle habits that manifest these issues include poor diet and lack of exercise, which promote obesity and obesity-related health complications such as type 2 diabetes.
Should we add cellphone use to the list of factors that elevate heart disease risk? According to recent research, compared with "non-regular" mobile phone users, "regular" users had a significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Study findings, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, are based on nearly 450,000 heart disease sufferers who self-reported frequency of mobile phone use.
Now here's the scary part: Because the data were collected before cellphones became the mini-computers they are today, the researchers defined "regular" mobile phone use as making at least one call per week. That means "regular" use didn't even include all the countless, time-consuming ways most people utilize their cellphones today: reviewing email, searching the web, accessing social media, etc. In other words, it's likely that if the study were repeated today, the number of "regular" phone users would be significantly higher.
But let's not focus on the negative; studies such as these give us an opportunity to think positively. In this case: How can we reduce cellphone use on a daily basis? After all, this isn't the first study to suggest the negative impact of keeping your phone with you all day – every day. For example, Consumer Reports recommends setting aside your phone for brief stretches daily; deleting time-wasting apps; muting notifications; and tracking / celebrating your progress in accomplishing the above, among other suggestions. Click here for the complete list.
