Constant magnetic field of 50 mT does not affect weight gain and blood glucose level in BALB/c mice.

BACKGROUND

There are reports concerning a rise in blood glucose in 0.01- and 0.001-Tesla and weight loss in 0.9-Tesla constant electromagnetic fields. This study aimed to examine the effect of a 0.05-Tesla constant magnetic field on weight gain and blood glucose homeostasis in BALB/c mice.

MATERIAL/METHODS: Twenty-two young BALB/c mice were randomly divided into two equal groups. The experimental group was exposed to a 0.05-Tesla constant magnetic field created by permanent magnets for at least 10 hours a day. Apart from exposure to the magnetic field, the experimental cases and controls were kept in similar environmental conditions. The mice in both groups were weighed daily for 30 days: 10 days before, 10 days during, and 10 days after exposure to the constant magnetic field. After 30 days, the experimental group was again exposed to the magnetic field for 15 days. On the 45th day of the study, blood samples were obtained from both groups to measure blood glucose.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference with respect to weight gain between cases and controls, with means of 0.3+/-0.03 vs. 0.25+/-0.03 g/day, respectively. The difference between blood glucose of the cases (114.36+/-29.2 mg/dl) and controls (113.82+/-15.4 mg/dl) was also not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

In the setting of this experiment, a 0.05-Tesla constant magnetic field had no impact on weight gain and blood glucose in BALB/c mice. It is possible that the reported effects in previous studies were partly due to sonic or thermal confounding effects caused by the electromagnets.