Richmond, VA: Alcohol-dependent subjects who consume cannabis possess a significantly lower risk of being diagnosed with liver injuries such as cirrhosis, according to data published in the scientific journal Liver International.
An international team of investigators from the United States, Canada, and Chile assessed the impact of cannabis use on alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) in a group of 33,114 alcohol-dependent adults. (ALD comprises a spectrum of progressive liver injuries, including steatosis, steatohepatitis, and cirrhosis.) Study participants were segregated into separate cohorts of heavy cannabis consumers, moderate consumers, and non-cannabis consumers.
“Cannabis use was associated with a 40 percent hazard reduction in the composite ALD, including alcohol-associated steatosis, hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis, as well as a 17 percent reduction in hepatic decompensation, and a 14 percent reduction in all-cause mortality,” researchers reported.
Those participants who consumed cannabis most frequently experienced the greatest risk reduction, suggesting “a dose-response relationship [and] … a potential protective association between cannabis use and ALD.”
The study’s authors concluded: “Cannabis use was linked to lower risks of ALD, liver-related complications and death compared to non-cannabis users. These findings suggest the cannabinoid system may represent a promising therapeutic target for ALD.”
Other studies have previously concluded that adults who consume cannabis are less likely to develop either liver cancer or liver steatosis (aka fatty liver disease).
Full text of the study, “The cannabinoid system as a potential novel target for alcohol-associated liver disease: A propensity-matched cohort study,” appears in Liver International.