Effect of magnetic field on food and water intake and body weight of spinal cord injured rats.
Kumar S, Jain S, Behari J, Avelev VD, Mathur R. · 2010
View Original AbstractControlled magnetic field exposure restored eating, drinking, and weight gain in paralyzed rats, showing EMFs can have beneficial biological effects under specific conditions.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats with spinal cord injuries to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (50 Hz, 17.9 microT) for 2 hours daily over 8 weeks. The magnetic field exposure restored normal food intake, water consumption, and body weight in the paralyzed rats, all of which had decreased after their spinal cord injuries. This suggests that specific magnetic field frequencies might help support basic physiological functions in spinal cord injury patients.
Why This Matters
This study presents an intriguing finding that controlled magnetic field exposure appears to restore fundamental biological functions disrupted by spinal cord injury. The exposure level of 17.9 microT is relatively low - comparable to what you might encounter near some household appliances or power lines, though the controlled frequency and duration matter significantly. What makes this research particularly noteworthy is that it demonstrates measurable physiological benefits from EMF exposure under specific conditions, contrasting with the vast majority of EMF research that focuses on potential harms. The science demonstrates that electromagnetic fields can have biological effects at relatively low intensities, whether beneficial or harmful, depending on frequency, duration, and biological context. This reinforces the reality that our bodies do respond to electromagnetic environments in measurable ways.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.0179 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 h/d x 8 weeks
Exposure Context
This study used 0.0179 mG for magnetic fields:
- 895x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 179x above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
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
The aim of this study is to observe Effect of magnetic field on food and water intake and body weight of spinal cord injured rats.
Chronic (2 h/d x 8 weeks) exposure to magnetic field (MF; 50 Hz, 17.9 microT) in complete spinal cor...
water intake (WI) and body weight (BW) which were decreased in the spinal cord injured rats.
The results suggest a significant beneficial effect of chronic exposure to magnetic field of paraplegic rats.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2010_effect_of_magnetic_field_667,
author = {Kumar S and Jain S and Behari J and Avelev VD and Mathur R.},
title = {Effect of magnetic field on food and water intake and body weight of spinal cord injured rats.},
year = {2010},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21299040/},
}