Comparative effect of positive and negative static magnetic fields on heart rate and blood pressure in healthy adults

Abstract

Objective: To compare changes in heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) associated with short-term exposure to static magnetic fields (SMFs) of positive versus negative polarity.

Design: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial using a time series design.

Setting: Physical therapy laboratory in a university setting.

Subjects: Seventy-five adults with a mean age of 30.6 years were assigned to one of three treatment groups. No subjects had any symptoms of cardiovascular disease or cardiac irregularity.

Interventions: Fifteen-minute exposure to an SMF by lying on a mattress pad containing magnets of positive polarity, negative polarity, or none (placebo).

Main outcome measures: HR and BP were monitored prior to exposure, at 1-minute, 5-minute, 10-minute and 15-minute intervals following exposure, and again 5 minutes after exposure.

Results: Subjects in all groups demonstrated slight decreases in HR and BP, but none of these changes were associated with the intervention (p = 0.170).

Conclusions: Short-term exposure to an SMF of either positive or negative polarity does not appear to cause any clinically meaningful changes in HR or BP among asymptomatic subjects. This finding supports the safe use of unipolar SMFs that contain low-intensity magnets (<1000 gauss) relative to the cardiovascular system.