In recent years, the use of weeds among American adults has always achieved a maximum. Although many praised this drug as secure, natural and even medicinal, a growing group of evidence suggests that it contributes to adverse cardiovascular effects, including heart disease.
A new study published in the magazine Heart Tuesday, June 17, presents new tests that show that the use of marijuana bends The risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Researchers found the very intense risks of acute coronary stroke and coronary syndrome: a sudden reduction in blood flow to the heart, as a heart attack. Although previous studies have linked cannabis to cardiovascular problems, this research emphasizes the severity of these risks. The authors, however, point out that future studies will have to verify this link and investigate the mechanisms behind it.
The findings can be a clash for those who consider weed to be a high, but co -author Emilie Jouanjus, a clinical pharmacologist at the University of Toulouse in France, did not surprise. He has been studying the adverse effects on marijuana health for more than a decade, and hopes that this study will promote better decision -making on marijuana use.
“I think it is very important that people realize that there is a risk, even if it is a natural product,” Jouanjus told Gizmodo. During the last decade, the legalization of the state increases liveststock More accessible and less stigmatized months, contributing to an increase in recreational and medicinal use. Jouanjus and his colleagues argue that public health messaging should treat cannabis as tobacco, not to criminalize it, but to actively highlight its risks and discourage use.
The researchers analyzed 24 studies, conducted between January 2016 and December 2023, who investigated the bond between marijuana use and severe cardiovascular results. These studies involved approximately 200 million participants between the ages of 19 and 59. The death of cardiovascular disease and non -fatal results, including stroke and ACS, were specifically examined.
The analysis found that the use of cannabis increases the risk of ACS by 29%, the risk of stroke by 20%and doubles the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. While researchers say that their study provides a thorough analysis of available data on marijuana use and cardiovascular disease, Jouanjus said that included studies were limited by the lack of data on when and how participants were exposed to cannabis.
Does this leave several important issues unanswered, such as what cannabis dose becomes insecure? Are cardiovascular risks minor for occasional marijuana users? Is edible consumption more safe than smoking weeds? Jouanjus hopes that future studies will explore these questions. Some researchers have already begun, such as Matt Springer, cardiovascular researcher at the University of California San Francisco.
Springer co -authored a recent study, published in the magazine Jama cardiology In May this was found Both weed smoking and edible foods increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The finding challenges widespread assumptions that edible are a less harmful way to consume marijuana and underline the alarming cardiovascular effects of the drug.
Like Jouanjus, Springer was not surprised by the bond between the use of cannabis and the death of cardiovascular disease. “This is In accordance with various reports from recent years that show associations between the use of cannabis and various types of cardiovascular results, as well as another recent meta -analysis informed In the conference (American College of Cardiology) in March, “Gizmodo told an email. This study found that cannabis users have a significantly higher risk of heart attack than non -users.
Springer’s latest study found that cannabis users showed a small dilation of blood vessels, which puts them at a greater risk of heart attack and other poor cardiovascular results. In theory, this could contribute to the risk of death of cardiovascular disease that I found Jouanjus and his colleagues, but researchers need more tests to support this claim.
There are also other potential mechanisms. Jouanjus pointed to previous investigations that found This, like tobacco, cannabis contributes to the accumulation of plaque within the walls of the artery. This increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. He also emphasized that the psychoactive compound of marijuana –etrahydrocannabinol (THC) – is much more concentrated in cannabis products today than those of 20 years ago. This can also contribute to the increase in the risk of cardiovascular death he observed in his study.
Although all these factors could influence plausibly on Weed’s cardiovascular effects, reaching the bottom of why this medicine harms the health of the heart will require more research. Jouanjus, meanwhile, considers that there is enough evidence to justify caution and moderation when marijuana is used. The audience is aware of the advantages of cannabis, but hopes that their study will be able to draw attention to their risks.
Springer agrees: “These reports in recent years, including ours and this work, indicate that cannabis is not necessarily harmless,” he said.
