Talking on a mobile for 30 minutes or more per week has been linked with a 12 per cent increased risk of high blood pressure.
This is according to a research published by European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
The findings of the study published in European Heart Journal – Digital Health, a journal of the ESC, was posted on ESC Website on Friday.
The study authored by Xianhui Qin of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, said that it was wise to keep mobile phone calls to a minimum to preserve heart health.
“It’s the number of minutes people spend talking on a mobile that matters for heart health, with more minutes meaning greater risk.
“Years of use or employing a hands-free set-up had no influence on the likelihood of developing high blood pressure.
“More studies are needed to confirm the findings,” he said.
Qin noted that about three-quarters of the global population aged 10 and over own a mobile phone.
“Nearly 1.3 billion adults, aged 30 to 79 years worldwide, have high blood pressure (hypertension),” he said.
Hypertension, also known as high or raised blood pressure, is a medical condition in which the blood vessels have persistently raised pressure.
“Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke and a leading cause of premature death globally.
“Mobile phones emit low levels of radiofrequency energy, which has been linked with rises in blood pressure after short-term exposure.
“Results of previous studies on mobile phone use and blood pressure were inconsistent, potentially because they included calls, texts, gaming, and so on,” Qin said.
Qin said the study examined the relationship between making and receiving phone calls and new-onset hypertension, using data from the UK Biobank.
According to him, 212,046 adults aged 37 to 73 years without hypertension were included in the study.
He said information on the use of mobile phone to make and receive calls was collected through a self-reported touchscreen questionnaire at baseline.
