geomagnetic fields, space, heart rate variability, autoimmune disease - brief notes

Two mind-blowing articles on the effects of geomagnetic field fluctuations on human health, published in highly ranked peer-reviewed journals.

Otsuka et al. (2019) Anti-aging effects of long-term space missions, estimated by heart rate variability  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-45387-6

"Exposure to variable magnetic fields in space resulted in an increase in several HRV endpoints, suggesting that aging may also be slowed down in astronauts in space, as it was for Caenorhabditis elegans¹⁸.

By contrast, our previous 1998–2000 studies (during solar cycle 23) in a subarctic area indicated that magnetic storms, which involved larger magnetic disturbances than those observed during ISS01 and ISS02, suppressed HRV indices in 19 clinically healthy subjects²⁴. The decrease in HRV was statistically validated for TF (−18.6%, P = 0.00009), primarily contributed to by VLF (−21.9%, P < 0.000001) in conjunction with ULF (−15.5%, P = 0.00865) and LF (−14.2%, P = 0.00187). Solar activity undergoes an about 11-year cycle. HRV decreases associated with geomagnetic storms, which occur more frequently during solar maxima, may increase the cardiovascular disease risk of susceptible individuals. Such an outcome was witnessed in data on mortality from myocardial infarction in Minnesota, which show a 5% increased mortality during years of maximal solar activity (P = 0.023)⁷¹. Factors underlying the difference in response observed in space or subarctic areas will need further investigation based on concomitant longitudinal geomagnetic and biomedical monitoring in order to better understand any anti-aging benefits of the space environment, which could then serve to design countermeasures to prevent adverse vascular events on Earth.

Phillips et al.⁷⁴ proposed a light-dependent magnetoreception mechanism and established a link between magnetic field sensitivity and the visual system in eastern red-spotted newts. A magnetoreception mechanism may thus also exist in humans."

 

Wing et. al.  (2015) Do solar cycles influence giant cell arteritis and rheumatoid arthritis incidence? - https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/5/e006636

"[AL index (a proxy for the westward auroral electrojet and a measure of geomagnetic activity)] and the incidences of GCA and RA all have a major periodicity of about 10 years and a secondary periodicity at 4–5 years. Geomagnetic activity may explain the temporal and spatial variations, including east-west skewness in geographic coordinates, in GCA and RA incidence, although the mechanism is unknown. The link with solar, geospace and atmospheric parameters need to be investigated. These novel findings warrant examination in other populations and with other autoimmune diseases."

"The geomagnetic activity peaks at the spring and fall equinoxes, a phenomenon known as the Russell-McPherron effect.28"

 ~

Another article:

McCraty et al. (2017) - Synchronization of Human Autonomic Nervous System Rhythms with Geomagnetic Activity in Human Subjects - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28703754/

Abstract - A coupling between geomagnetic activity and the human nervous system's function was identified by virtue of continuous monitoring of heart rate variability (HRV) and the time-varying geomagnetic field over a 31-day period in a group of 10 individuals who went about their normal day-to-day lives. A time series correlation analysis identified a response of the group's autonomic nervous systems to various dynamic changes in the solar, cosmic ray, and ambient magnetic field. Correlation coefficients and p values were calculated between the HRV variables and environmental measures during three distinct time periods of environmental activity. There were significant correlations between the group's HRV and solar wind speed, Kp, Ap, solar radio flux, cosmic ray counts, Schumann resonance power, and the total variations in the magnetic field. In addition, the time series data were time synchronized and normalized, after which all circadian rhythms were removed. It was found that the participants' HRV rhythms synchronized across the 31-day period at a period of approximately 2.5 days, even though all participants were in separate locations. Overall, this suggests that daily autonomic nervous system activity not only responds to changes in solar and geomagnetic activity, but is synchronized with the time-varying magnetic fields associated with geomagnetic field-line resonances and Schumann resonances.

Now that large amounts of data have been amassed by the makers of various health and fitness tracking devices (Whoop, Oura ring, etc.) I wonder if these findings have been replicated.

~

Update 2021-09-28

There is a smartphone app called CrowdMag by NOAA that gathers measurements on magnetic field strength https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/crowdmag.shtml

The data are to be used for navigation, but perhaps they could be the basis for future epidemiological studies.  Since I like citizen science projects, don't mind sharing my location data, and wondered if there was a way I could monitor my own exposure and correlate it to my HRV,  I downloaded the app, but it does not work on my phone for some reason.