Crypto News: Are induction stoves safe for pacemakers?

Hi folks, it's Kristen in New York. This week, it's a new chapter in the battle between induction and gas stoves. But first...

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I've heard that induction ranges are okay for people with pacemakers to use, as long as the pacemaker is less than 30 years old. Is there consensus in the medical community? — Sharon, Schenectady, NY

The hottest debate within the foodie community during the last six months has centered around stoves. Some studies have suggested that natural gas stoves are linked to childhood respiratory diseases. The fossil fuel emits nitrogen dioxide when burned, a corrosive compound that can irritate your airways and exacerbate any related diseases. Other research has revealed gas stoves leak constantly. Those findings have left home cooks (myself included) in a panic, struggling to imagine how they'll whip up delicious meals without open flames.

People with implanted health devices, including pacemakers and defibrillators, have another factor to consider: Anything that produces a strong electromagnetic field can interfere with the implant. So induction stoves, which use magnets to heat food, aren't the obvious alternative.

"For patients with pacemakers the risk of electromagnetic interference resulting from induction ovens is small but not negligible," says Joseph Akar, the director of cardiac electrophysiology at Yale School of Medicine.

That doesn't mean you can't have one in the home, though, he says. Akar recommends that people keep any implanted cardiac-rhythm devices two feet away from induction stoves while cooking.

James Freeman, a cardiac electrophysiologist also at Yale said that the advice he gives patients is to "make every effort possible to cook at arms length and not get super super close."

So if you have a pacemaker, consider how much time you plan to spend in the kitchen before pulling the trigger on an induction stove purchase. Experts say there's no reason to fret over the use of a gas stove in the meantime. It's fine to keep it until the appliance reaches the end of its designed lifecycle. — Kristen V. Brown

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Ask us anything — well, anything health-related that is! Each week we're picking a reader question and putting it to our network of experts. So get in touch via AskPrognosis@bloomberg.net.