Radiofrequency fields, transthyretin, and Alzheimer's disease.
Söderqvist F, Hardell L, Carlberg M, Mild KH · 2010
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation at regulatory limits increased a brain-protective protein by 30%, suggesting complex biological effects beyond simple harm.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed 41 people to cell phone radiation for 30 minutes and found increased levels of transthyretin, a protein that helps prevent Alzheimer's disease by blocking harmful brain plaques. This suggests certain radiofrequency exposures might offer protective effects against Alzheimer's.
Why This Matters
This study presents an intriguing twist in the EMF health debate by suggesting potential cognitive benefits from radiofrequency exposure. The research builds on animal studies showing that RF exposure reduced Alzheimer's-related brain plaques in mice, and proposes that increased transthyretin production might explain these protective effects. The exposure level used (1.0 W/kg SAR) is at the regulatory limit for cell phones, making these findings directly relevant to everyday phone use. However, this single study shouldn't be interpreted as proof that cell phone radiation prevents Alzheimer's disease. The reality is that EMF research reveals complex biological interactions that we're still working to understand. While these findings are noteworthy, they don't negate the substantial body of research documenting concerning health effects from chronic EMF exposure, particularly regarding cancer risk and neurological symptoms.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 890-MHz GSM
- Exposure Duration
- 30 min
Exposure Context
This study used 1 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.5x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
Radiofrequency field (RF) exposure provided cognitive benefits in an animal study. In Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice, exposure reduced brain amyloid-beta (Abeta) deposition through decreased aggregation of Abeta and increase in soluble Abeta levels. Based on our studies on humans on RF from wireless phones, we propose that transthyretin (TTR) might explain the findings.
In a cross-sectional study on 313 subjects, we used serum TTR as a marker of cerebrospinal fluid TTR...
We found a statistically significantly positive beta coefficient for TTR for time since first use of...
Studies have shown that patients with AD have lowered TTR concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid and have attributed the onset of AD to insufficient sequestering of Abeta by TTR. We propose that TTR might be involved in the findings of RF exposure benefit in AD mice.
Show BibTeX
@article{f_2010_radiofrequency_fields_transthyretin_and_1332,
author = {Söderqvist F and Hardell L and Carlberg M and Mild KH},
title = {Radiofrequency fields, transthyretin, and Alzheimer's disease.},
year = {2010},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20164553/},
}