Current Events in September 2024

For years, there've been fears that frequent and longstanding use of cell phones posed a risk of brain cancer. Now, after decades of studies and disputed claims, the World Health Organization (WHO) says they don't. 

But don't rush to pick your phone up just yet. A new Canadian study finds that regular cell phone use is "positively associated" with heart disease, especially in smokers and patients with diabetes.

In the WHO review, researchers said that even though the phones are generally held next to the head, there was no evidence of increased risk of brain cancer in regular mobile phone users. The latest study is based on a large base of studies and could put to rest fears raised by earlier studies that seemed to suggest the possiblity of harm. 

The review considered more than 5,000 studies, of which 63, published between 1994 and 2022, were included in the final analysis. No association between mobile phone use and brain cancer, or any other head or neck cancer, was found.

Heart disease in phone users

The Canadian study, on the other hand, found evidence suggesting that radio frequencies emitted by mobile phones "cause dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress, and are therefore expected to affect a variety of organs such as the heart and blood vessels," according to Yanjun Zhang, MD, Division of Nephrology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

"However, whether mobile phone use is associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases remains uncertain," Zhang added.

The large study included 444,027 individuals from the UK Biobank without a history of cardiovascular diseases who self-reported on the frequency of their mobile phone use from 2006 to 2010. Regular mobile phone use was defined as at least one call per week.

The association was partly attributed to poor sleep, psychological distress, and neuroticism

Using linked hospital and mortality records, the composite outcome of incident stroke, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure was ascertained over a median followup time of 12.3 years. Researchers also investigated the role of sleep patterns, psychological distress, and neuroticism.

So what's the message to consumers? As is so often the case, it may come down to using moderation in all things.

"Maintaining responsible mobile phone habits should be a valuable component of an all-encompassing approach to supporting cardiovascular health," said Nicholas Grubic of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in an editorial accompanyiing the study. "Before diving into hours of mindless ’doom-scrolling’ on your smartphone today, consider redirecting this time toward a more heart-healthy activity."

There's a popular belief that having a pet or two can help relieve depression, anxiety, loneliness and other modern maladies. During the pandemic, many people stock up on dogs, cats and so forth, hoping for relief from their angst.

Well, that's fine, although sadly many of those pets have since been dropped at shelters as their owners went back to work or found that having a small furry friend was a lot of fuss and bother, minus the advertised emotional relief.

Researchers at Aarhus University and King’s College London decided to test the theory that pets provide an emotional boost.

The results? No evidence that pet ownership reliably offers an emotional boost.

“Our findings suggest that while pets can provide companionship, they are by no means a cure-all for mental health issues, especially during stressful times like a pandemic,” said Professor Christine Parsons from the Department of Clinical Medicine.

No mental health benefits found

The study tracked 6,018 individuals in the UK over a 12-month period, assessing their levels of depression, anxiety, anhedonia (loss of pleasure), and loneliness.

Contrary to popular assumptions, the study found no evidence that pet ownership improved these mental health outcomes. In fact, pet owners reported slightly worse mental health outcomes compared to non-owners.

“Although the body of research done on the topic has been mixed, we were genuinely surprised to find that pet owners generally experienced slightly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and anhedonia during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Parsons.

“This runs counter to a prevailing public belief that pets are beneficial for mental health,” she conceded.

Testing the ‘Lassie effect’

Another commonly held belief is that dog owners in particular benefit from increased physical activity and a more structured daily routine, which in turn might lead to improved mental health.

Here researchers found that dog owners really were more likely to engage in daily exercise (40% compared to 35% of non-owners).

However, this increased activity did not correlate with better mental health outcomes and no significant difference was found between dog owners and non-owners with regards to maintaining a daily structure.

The myth of the lonely ‘Cat lady’

The only area where pet ownership provides a mental health benefit is in relation to loneliness. In popular culture, the trope of the "Cat lady" is a lonely, anxious woman with mental health issues. The new study also gave researchers the opportunity to test some of these cultural assumptions against reality.

Among individuals living alone, both dog and cat owners reported slightly lower levels of loneliness than those without pets. Even though the effects were small, they ran opposite to the lonely "Cat lady" trope.

For those living as couples, families, or roommates, pet owners reported no measurable difference in the feeling of loneliness.

While women in the study were clearly more likely to own cats (30.3 % compared to 22.7% in males), they were not more lonely, depressed, anxious or anhedonic than men who owned cats.

While there has been no shortage of announcements and research done on children’s mental health struggles, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is now calling attention to parents’ mental health. 

In a recently released advisory, Murthy is emphasizing the importance of mental health support for parents and caregivers across the country. 

“Parents have a profound impact on the health of our children and the health of society,” Murthy said. “Yet parents and caregivers today face tremendous pressures, from familiar stressors such as worrying about their kids’ health and safety and financial concerns, to new challenges like navigating technology and social media, a youth mental health crisis, an epidemic of loneliness that has hit young people the hardest. 

“As a father of two kids, I feel these pressures too. With this advisory, I am calling for a fundamental shift in how we value and prioritize the mental health and well-being of parents. I am also outlining policies, programs, and individual actions we can all take to support caregivers.” 

Parental stress is increasing

As part of the advisory, Murthy addressed the findings from a recent study by the American Psychological Association that explored adults’ stress levels across the country. 

The biggest takeaway from the study: parents and caregivers are more stressed than adults without children – both overall and in specific areas. 

Some of the findings include: 

• 66% of parents were consumed by money worries; 39% of childless adults reported the same 

• 57% of parents were embarrassed talking about finances with others; 39% of childless adults reported the same

• 62% of parents feel that no one understands how stressed they are; 42% of childless adults reported the same

• 60% of parents say that stress makes it hard for them to focus; 37% of childless adults reported the same

• 50% of parents say they can’t bring themselves to do anything when they’re stressed; 28% of childless adults reported the same 

What’s the solution?

To address this growing issue, Murthy has several recommendations to strengthen the available support networks for parents across the country. 

Some of these solutions include: 

• Increased financial support for families, including tax credits

• Paid time off for both parents during the birth of a child or when a child is sick 

• Safe, affordable child care

• Access to mental health care 

• Safe and affordable programs for before and after school 

• Predictable work schedules for parents 

• Safe playgrounds, libraries, and communities for children to play and learn – and for parents to build community 

“Given the responsibility it entails, raising children is never going to be without worry,” Murthy wrote in a New York Times editorial. “But reorienting our priorities in order to give parents and caregivers the support they need would do a lot to ensure the balance skews toward joy.”

Hear more from the surgeon general here: