Navigation
Mobile phone radiation deflects brain energy homeostasis and prompts human food ingestion
The use of mobile phones has followed similar trends to the prevalence of obesity across the world. Mobile phones emit radio frequency-modulated electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) that predominantly bombard the user’s head, leading to alterations in brain glucose metabolism and neuronal excitability. On the other hand, the brain is also responsible for regulating food intake and the perception of appetite through the hypothalamus, thereby adjusting overall body weight. Wardzinski et al. (2022) conducted this single-blind, sham-controlled randomized crossover study to investigate whether the radiation emitted by mobile phones influence food intake. The study participants (n = 15 healthy males, age = 23.47 ± 0.68 years) were fasted prior to exposure to either 25 minutes of RF-EMFs from two mobile phones, or to sham radiation. Thereafter, their food intake was evaluated through a standard buffet test (ad libitum), and had their brain energy homeostasis investigated using 31phosphorus-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Analysis of the participants revealed an increase in caloric intake with mobile phone usage by 22-27% compared to sham controls, attributed for the most part to an increase in carbohydrate consumption. A rise in cerebral energy (demonstrated through phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate levels versus inorganic phosphate) was also observed in participants exposed to mobile phone radiation. The authors conclude that RF-EMFs may enhance overeating and promote obesity, and that RF-EMFs should be further investigated to understand its effects on brain homeostasis and functions [NPID: Body weight, brain, food intake, mobile phone, electromagnetic fields]
Year: 2022
