Hangzhou, China: Those with a history of cannabis use possess a lower risk of suffering from metabolic disorders – including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, according to data published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases.
Chinese researchers assessed the relationship between cannabis use and metabolic syndromes in a nationally representative sample of 91,000 adults.
Consistent with prior analyses, investigators identified an inverse relationship between cannabis use and metabolic disorders – with heavier consumers experiencing the lowest risk. Specifically, those with a history of cannabis use were approximately 20 percent less likely than non-users to suffer from type 2 diabetes and they were more than 40 percent less likely to be obese.
“Cannabis use was associated with modestly lower observed risks of metabolic disease overall, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity,” the study’s authors concluded. “These inverse associations were more evident among individuals with [lower] BMI (body mass index) and attenuated among those with higher BMI. … These findings highlight the need for further research to elucidate the relationship between cannabis use and metabolic diseases.”
Observational studies have repeatedly linked cannabis use with lower BMI, as well as with lower rates of obesity, adult-onset diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Full text of the study, “Association between cannabis use and risk of metabolic disease in UK Biobank,” appears in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases. Additional information on cannabinoids and diabetes is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.