Take Care Of Your Heart: Risk Of Coronary Artery Disease Among Regular Cannabis Users, Study Finds

We know marijuana is a plant with many compounds that differently impact our health. Cannabis research is vital to determine the pros and cons of its use.

“In terms of the public health message, it shows that there are probably certain harms of cannabis use that weren’t recognized before, and people should take that into account,” said Dr. Ishan Paranjpe, a physician at the Stanford University and the lead author of a new study that showed that cannabis daily consumption could increase the risk of developing heart disease, reported Bloomberg.

About The Study

To conduct the study, researchers extracted data about people who participated in the All of Us Research Program.

The study's participants completed a survey on their use of cannabis. Surveying this information, the researchers took into account five categories: daily users (4,736 people), weekly users (2,720), monthly users (2,075), those who used once or twice in three months (8,749), and those that never used (39,678 people), reported CNN Health.

Methods

The study used Mendelian randomization (MR) to determine risk. The MR method measures gene variations known to be related to a modifiable risk factor to determine the causal influence of the risk factor.

“While other work has also linked cannabis with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), there are several potential confounders that may explain this relationship. Our MR analysis suggests this relationship may be directly causal,” Paranjpe said.

The Results

Daily cannabis users are 34% more likely to suffer CAD (the most common form of heart disease), compared to those who never consumed pot, per the study.

However, using cannabis monthly instead of daily did not lead to a significant increase in risk, said researchers, who also took into account other possible causes of heart complications, such as the use of tobacco and alcohol.

A similar study, conducted by Gentofte University Hospital, Denmark and presented at the ESC Congress 2022 revealed a correlation between medical marijuana use and heart rhythm disorders. As the European Society of Cardiology reported, they discovered that “medical cannabis users have a 74% higher risk of heart rhythm disorders compared with non-users,” study author Dr. Nina Nouhravesh said.

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