Shocking study: 30 minutes on mobile phone a week puts heart health at risk

It seems like a shocking study, if you think that we are with our phones in our hands every hour, with phone calls or video calls.

Talking on a cell phone for 30 or more minutes a week is associated with a 12% increased risk of high blood pressure, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal - Digital Health, the online journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

The study used data from the UK Biobank medical database.

A total of 212,046 adults aged 37-73 without hypertension were included. Also, through a questionnaire, information was collected about the use of the mobile phone for making and receiving calls.

The researchers then analyzed the association between cell phone use and hypertension, after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, race, family history of hypertension, education, smoking status, blood pressure, blood lipids, inflammation, glucose in blood, kidney, function and use of medications to lower cholesterol or blood glucose levels.

Over a period of 12 years, 7% of participants developed hypertension. Cell phone users had a 7% higher risk of hypertension compared to non-users.

Those who talked for 30 minutes or more a week were 12 percent more likely to have high blood pressure than participants who spent less than 30 minutes on the phone.