Dr Andrew Goldsworthy Lecturer (retired)

Imperial College London 2012

Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Glands and its Relationship with Diabetes Gland cells are particularly sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. Gland cells may be particularly sensitive to radiation because their secretions are normally produced in internal membrane systems, which can also be damaged.

Their secretions are usually released in vesicles (bubbles of membrane) that fuse with the external cell membrane and disgorge their contents to the outside (exocytosis). The vesicle membrane then becomes part of the external membrane. The resulting excess external membrane is counterbalanced by the reverse process (endocytosis) in which the external membrane buds off vesicles to the inside of the cell, which then fuse with the internal membranes.

In this way, an active gland cell may internalise the equivalent of its entire surface membrane about once every half an hour. This means that if the surface membrane is damaged directly by the fields, or by electromagnetically conditioned blood, the damaged membrane rapidly becomes part of the internal membrane system, upon which its normal activity depends. If the damage is too severe, the whole gland may lose its normal function.

Electromagnetic effects on the endocrine system and obesity

Although electromagnetic fields frequently stimulate glandular activity in the short term, long term exposure is often harmful in that the gland ceases to work properly. This is particularly serious for the glands of the endocrine system (those that coordinate our bodily functions) since it can affect many aspects of metabolism and throw the whole body out of kilter. For example it may be responsible, at least in part, for the current outbreak of obesity and the many other illnesses that stem from it.

A good example of this is the thyroid gland, which is in an exposed position in the front of the neck. Rajkovic et al. (2003) showed that after three months exposure to power line frequencies, the thyroid glands of rats showed visible signs of deterioration. They also lost their ability to produce the thyroid hormones, which they did not recover even after the fields were switched off.

Esmekaya et al. (2010) found a similar visible deterioration of the thyroid gland in rats exposed to simulated 2G cell phone radiation for 20 minutes a day for three weeks. Eskander et al. (2012) found that people living for six years within 100 metres of a cell phone base station showed a significant reduction in the release into the blood of a number of hormones, including ACTH from the pituitary gland, cortisol from the adrenal glands, and prolactin and testosterone from organs elsewhere. However, the most highly significant loss was in their ability to produce the thyroid hormones. The expected consequence of this is hypothyroidism, the most frequent symptoms of which are fatigue and obesity.

It may not be a coincidence that about a quarter of a million UK citizens are now suffering from what is being diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, and about eight out of ten are either overweight or clinically obese. The incidence of obesity may be exacerbated by effects on the release of the appetite regulating hormones ghrelin and peptide YY. Ghrelin is synthesised in the stomach wall and makes us feel hungry, whereas peptide YY is made in the intestine wall and makes us feel full. In normal people the level of ghrelin in the blood is high before a meal and goes down afterwards whereas peptide YY goes up, so we go from feeling hungry to feeling full, which stops us overeating. However, in obese people the level of both hormones stays roughly the same throughout so that they never feel completely full and eat in an unregulated manner.

If prolonged exposure to electromagnetic fields limits the release of these hormones in the same way as they affect the release of ACTH, cortisol, prolactin, testosterone and the thyroid hormones, it may explain why so many people find it difficult to stop eating and end up being clinically obese. If you are affected in this way, you may be forced to go on a life-long diet, undergo gastric bypass surgery to drastically reduce the size of your stomach or risk the many serious diseases that stem from obesity AND IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN YOUR FAULT.

Think twice before you use a cell phone or install a cordless phone or WiFi. The consequences are only now becoming apparent; neither the Government nor the telecommunications industry will tell you what they are, but they are not good. Obesity can trigger many other illnesses including diabetes. The consequences of obesity include diabetes, gangrene, high blood pressure, cardiac problems, renal failure and cancer. Between them, they cause a great deal of human suffering and cost the nation’s economy a great deal of money.

References

Esmekaya MA, Seyhan N, Omeroglu S (2010) Pulse modulated 900 MHz radiation induces hypothyroidism and apoptosis in thyroid cells: A light, electron microscopy and immunohistochemical study. Int J Radiat Biol. 86 (12) 1106-1116.

Eskander EF, Estefan SF, Ahmed A. Abd-Rabou AA (2012) How does long term exposure to base stations and mobile phones affect human hormone pro-files? (2012), Clin Biochem 45: 157-161.

Le Roux CW, Patterson M, Vincent RP, Hunt C, Ghatei MA, Bloom SR (2005) Postprandial plasma ghrelin is suppressed proportional to meal calorie content in normal weight but not obese subjects. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 90(2): 1068-1071.

Le Roux CW, Batterham RL, Aylwin SJB, Patterson M, Borg CM, Wynne KJ, Kent A, Vincent RP, Gardiner J, Ghatei MA, Bloom SR (2006). Attenuated peptide YY release in obese subjects is associated with reduced satiety. Endocrinology 147(1) 3-8 McCormick B, Stone I, and Corporate Analytical Team (2006) Economic cost of obesity and the case for government intervention.

Obesity Reviews 8: (Suppl. 1) 161—164 McCrone P, Darbyshire L, Ridsdale L, Seed P (2003) The economic cost of chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in UK primary care. Pschol Med 33 (2) 253-261 Rajkovic V, Matavu M, Gledic D, Lazetic B (2003).

Evaluation of rat thyroid gland morphophysiological status after three months exposure to 50 Hz electromagnetic field. Tissue & Cell 35: 223- 231.

Pulse modulated 900 MHz radiation induces hypothyroidism and apoptosis in thyroid cells: A light, electron microscopy and immunohistochemical study. Int J Radiat Biol. 86 (12): 1106-1116.