Research studies have found that prolonged EMF exposure causes several changes in how your body reacts to or produces insulin.
Insulin is one of the key hormones that your body uses to keep your blood sugar levels in check.
If your body isn’t producing enough insulin or isn’t reacting to insulin as it’s supposed to, it could be an indicator that you’re developing or on the verge of developing diabetes.
Although many factors could affect insulin levels and resistance"Resistance" is a fundamental concept in the field of electricity and electronics, central to understanding how electric circuits operate. It refers to the opposition that a material or a device..., experts say that prolonged EMF exposure is one of them. And we all know there’s no EMF shortage in our surroundings.
So, in this post, we’ll understand how insulin works, look at the link between EMF and insulin anomalies, and, most importantly, look at what you can do about it.
What is Insulin?
Before we move forward, let’s take a quick look at insulin and its role in your body.
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Insulin is basically a chemical messenger that helps your cells absorb glucose and balances glucose levels in your blood.
Your pancreas, which sits behind the stomach, produces this hormone. And it’s what decides how much insulin your body needs.
Unbalanced insulin levels in your body can lead to problems like diabetes.
Insulin & Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes develops when your immune system (the body’s system that fights infections) attacks and destroys the pancreas’s insulin-producing beta cells.
Scientists have hypothesized several causes for this problem, including genetics, environmental causes, and viruses. An individual with type-1 diabetes needs regular insulin shots, so their bodies can use the glucose from their meals.
However, in type-2 diabetes, the patient’s body makes insulin, but their bodies don’t respond to it appropriately. Whether or not an individual with type-2 diabetes needs insulin medications is subjective to their individual symptoms.
Researchers say that problems like obesity, physical inactivity, insulin resistance, and genetics can cause type-2 diabetes.
So, basically, there is no single cause for either type of diabetes. We just know that if there’s anything wrong with one’s insulin production or the way their body reacts to the produced insulin, one can develop diabetes.
And several research studies have found that the EMF in our surroundings can severely affect our insulin-making and using abilities.
EMF’s Role
Per research studies, EMF affects insulin in two ways— direct and indirect. Here are some studies that show how EMF directly affects insulin levels and its functioning.
Note that these conclusions are from animal studies, as performing experiments on humans to understand insulin behavior upon EMF exposure isn’t ethically possible. But even though they’re from animal studies, we can still learn a great deal about how the effects may replicate in humans.
So, let’s have a look.
Increased Insulin Resistance
In an attempt to learn how prolonged EMF exposure affects blood glucose and serum insulin levels, researchers from Tbilisi, Georgia, recruited 40 male albino rats (Wistar line) and divided them into five groups.
| Group | EMF Exposure for 3 Months |
| Group A | Control (No Exposure) |
| Group B | 15 Minutes Per Day |
| Group C | 15-30 Minutes Per Day |
| Group D | 31-45 Minutes Per Day |
| Group E | 40-60 Minutes Per Day |
After the experiment, they found that the subjects who were exposed to more than 15 minutes of EMF per day had higher fasting blood glucose and serum insulin levels than the control group.
And the groups that faced 15-30 and 40-60 minutes of EMF daily developed severe insulin resistance.
The researchers concluded their study by saying they found “an association between prolonged exposure to cell phones and increased blood glucose and serum insulin levels in Wistar line rats.”
Another study from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in which they performed similar experiments on Albino rats, found that long-term exposure to activated mobile phone EMF increased fasting blood glucose and serum insulin levels in the subjects.
Insulin levels need to be balanced. Such a condition in which the body produces more insulin than it needs is called hyperinsulinemia. And this condition puts the patient at risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and decreased life expectancy.
Decreased Insulin Levels
Two studies from Iran found that prolonged EMF exposure decreases insulin levels in rodents.
The first study led by Dr. Khaki exposed 14 12-week-old rats to EMF produced by an electromagnetic device operating on 50 Hz (extremely low frequencyDefinition and Characteristics Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) refers to the lower end of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum with frequencies from 3 Hz to 300 Hz. This range lies below the... or ELF-EMF) frequency"Frequency" in the context of electricity, Electromagnetic Fields (EMF), and wireless communication, can be thought of as the number of times something happens in a second. Specifically, it refers to... for 6 weeks. After the experiment, they took the subjects’ blood and pancreas tissue samples.
They found a severe decrease in insulin production among EMF-exposed rats. They concluded the study by saying, “Exposure to EMF impacts insulin secretion by influencing the size of pancreatic islets.”
Similarly, another study led by Dr. Masoumi also found that “EMR of WiFi leads to hyperglycemia, increased oxidative stress, and impaired insulin secretion in the rat pancreatic islets.”
This time, the exposure was not from EMF operating on the ELF-EMF range but at a radiofrequency range (2.45 GHz). And the effects were similar.
Besides The Direct Effects
These are just the direct ways EMF affects insulin levels in the body. There’s more. Have a look.
Oxidative Stress & Insulin Resistance
Oxidative stress happens when the balance between free radicalsThe concept of "free radicals" in relation to oxidation and EMF (electromagnetic field) exposure is an area of ongoing research and debate within the scientific community. Free radicals are atoms,... and antioxidants is disturbed.
Free radicals are unstable atoms that generate as a natural part of your metabolic process. But if they overgrow, your cells may suffer—meaning they can cause your cells to die of necrosis (an unnatural death).
So, to counter that, your body produces antioxidants, which eliminate the free radicals and prevent them from reaching your cells.
But, if the number of free radicals rises above the number of antioxidants your body produces, it can create an oxidative stress state in your body.
Oxidative stress can damage your cells, DNA, and proteins, creating various health problems, including diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Research studies have found that prolonged EMF exposure can cause your free radicals to become disproportionately elevated.
And there’s a tangible link between oxidative stress and insulin resistance, resulting in an increased risk for the patient to develop type-2 diabetes.
Disruption in the Microbiome
Your microbiome, which you may also know by the term “gut,” plays one of the most crucial roles in regulating your insulin levels.
Research studies suggest that “disruption in the bacterial environment in your gut can cause inflammation that exacerbates insulin resistance and other metabolic problems.”
And there’s no shortage of evidence linking prolonged EMF exposure and disruption of your microbiome. You can learn more about this in my post, “EMF & The Microbiome: How EMF Affects Your Microbiota and Causes Gut Imbalance.“
So, What’s The Verdict? Does EMF Cause Diabetes?
Well, after reading this post so far, you may be wondering whether your cell phone or WiFi router can give you diabetes.
But the answer isn’t so simple. Although there are experiments to show that EMF changes insulin behavior, we have no way of knowing whether or not these changes can ultimately cause diabetes.
For instance, this 2014 study by Dr. Sam MilhamDr. Sam Milham: Pioneer in EMF Research and the Discovery of Dirty Electricity Dr. Samuel Milham, born on October 18, 1929, is a distinguished epidemiologist and scientist known for his... shows that countries with higher rates of dirty electricityDirty Electricity, also known as electrical pollution, refers to the presence of irregularities or distortions in the normal electrical current within a wiring system. These distortions, which deviate from the... exposure in the population rank higher in diabetes and obesity charts.
Dirty electricity is a type of EMF that’s created when there’s a disturbance in the flow of electricity. Learn more about it in my post, “Dirty Electricity: What is it, Where Does it Come From and What are the Effects?“
Dr. Milham’s research shows that 8 of 10 countries in the world with the highest BMIs in 2008 are small islands that are dependent on generators for electricity. And generators are among the greatest dirty electricity producers.
In fact, the US population is also heavily exposed to dirty electricity, as we use the earth as the major conduit for neutral return currents, allowing dirty electricity to enter homes through conductive water and sewer pipes and through the grid. And on a global level, we rank in the top ten countries with populations at high risk of developing metabolic disorders.
But still, all we have are informed guesses. But don’t let this be an excuse for you to continue exposing yourself to harmful EMFs.
Isn’t An Excuse
Thousands of research studies have found that prolonged EMF exposure can cause problems ranging from minor sleep disorders to chronic diseases like cancer. So, even if we can’t prove whether or not EMF causes diabetes, continuing to expose yourself to it isn’t a great idea. That’s because diabetes isn’t the only health risk that tags along with EMF. There are more— a lot more. And you can learn all about them on my “EMF Health Effects” page.
But I also don’t suggest quitting the convenience of technology. Because even though there are risks, technology is what makes our lives as convenient as they are.
So, what can you do?
The answer is simple—try to mitigate your EMF exposure as best as possible while still enjoying the convenience of technology. And here’s how you can do that.
Ways to Mitigate Your EMF Exposure
Before I proceed, I want to clarify that the tips mentioned below don’t pose a cure if you have diabetes. If you believe you may be suffering from insulin-related problems, I recommend seeking medical help immediately.
These tips are intended to reduce your risk of facing EMF-induced insulin anomalies and to prevent other health problems that EMF may cause.
So, with that said, let’s have a look at a few ways you can reduce your EMF exposure for a safer, healthier life.
Follow The Two Key Rules of EMF Protection
It surprises people when I say that “the best EMF protection is always free.”
But the fact is, if you follow what I call the two key rules of EMF protection, you can significantly reduce your EMF exposure, making it safer and healthier for you to interact with modern technology.
The two key rules are: minimize use & maximize distance.
Minimize use asks you to reduce unnecessary use of your EMF-emitting gadgets. So, avoid doing things like:
- Mindlessly scrolling your social media
- Keeping your WiFi router turned on 24/7
- Buying gadgets you don’t need
And the second rule asks you to maximize your distance from EMF sources. This simply means keeping your gadgets as far from your body as possible.
So, no:
- Carrying your phone in your pocket or bra
- Keeping your WiFi router very close to your working space
- Using your laptop on your lap
For more examples, check out my post, “What is the Best EMF Protection? Hint: It’s Free. And You Can Start Right Now.”
Use EMF Shielding Products
Although the best EMF protection is always free, we can’t humanly follow the minimize use and maximize distance rules to the letter.
Sometimes, we need to carry our phones in our pockets, use our laptops on our laps, and keep our WiFi router close to our working space. Sometimes we don’t have a choice.
You can solve this with EMF shieldingEMF shielding refers to the practice of reducing the electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure in a particular area by blocking or altering the electromagnetic waves with barriers made of conductive or... products. We call it the second line of defense when you’re trying to mitigate your EMF exposure. These products make it safer for you to interact with EMF sources when you can’t follow the two key rules.
Check out the large catalog of lab-tested EMF shielding products by SYB at the SYB store.
Nutrition
Besides following the two key rules and using EMF shielding products, you can also strengthen your body to make it more resistant to EMF-induced damage.
As we grow older, our bodies become naturally resistant to EMF’s effects, but only to a degree. You can increase this resilience by following proper nutrition.
EMF expert and SYB consultant Cathy Cooke wrote this amazing post which teaches you everything you need to learn about building EMF resilience through nutrition. So, check it out.
Final Thoughts
Whether or not EMF causes diabetes is a question that we may not get answered in our lifetime. But looking at the evidence so far, it wouldn’t hurt to try and stay on the safer side.
In addition, EMF exposure isn’t the only problem with modern technology. Experts say prolonged tech use affects you physically, mentally, psychologically, and emotionally.
And as we have no choice but to use our gadgets, the least we can do is build a healthier relationship with them.
So, what does this mean?
Well, let the experts tell you. The Healthier Tech Podcast features a wide variety of experts sharing tips on living a safer, healthier life alongside technology. It’s available on all major platforms. So, give it a listen.
