On February 24, 2023 CNN reported about research that demonstrated how marijuana affects your heart.
Dr. Ishan Paranjpe is a resident physician at Stanford University who conducted this study. It has not been published yet, as the findings will first be presented on March 5, 2023 at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans, LA. Here is the outline of the study:
Risk of heart disease according to amounts of marijuana cigarettes used
It is known from previous publications that regular marijuana use leads to fatty (atheromatous) deposits in the coronary arteries and the smaller arteries of the brain. This is the basis why more heart attacks and strokes occur in regular marijuana users. When Dr. Paranjpe enrolled participants into his study, he asked them about their cannabis use.
The following categories were noted:
- Daily users (4,736 people)
- Weekly users (2,720)
- Monthly users (2,075)
- Those who used marijuana once or twice in three months (8,749)
- And those who never used (39,678 people)
Several years into the study the researchers took note of the clinical reports of the participants. Daily marijuana users were 34% more likely to develop coronary artery disease and heart attacks than those who never used marijuana. Those who used marijuana less than once a month had no additional cardiovascular risk.
Statistical analysis
The researchers factored out other potential causes for heart attacks like age, sex, and major cardiovascular risks like high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, heavy alcohol use and smoking. Dr. Paranjpe said that his study used Mendelian randomization (MR), which measures gene variation. Dr. Paranjpe said that his study used Mendelian randomization (MR), which measures gene variation. Other studies have not used this statistical method of analysis. Dr. Paranjpe said: “While other work has also linked cannabis with CAD, there are several potential confounders that may explain this relationship. Our MR analysis suggests this relationship may be directly causal.”
How Marijuana Affects your Heart
Conclusion
Research from Stanford University showed that daily users smoking marijuana expose themselves to a 34% higher incidence of coronary artery disease, heart attacks and heart disease when compared to those who never used marijuana. In addition, other research found that there is a risk of developing strokes, irregular heartbeats, lungs and blood vessels disease. Dr. Paranjpe said that his study used Mendelian randomization (MR), which measures gene variation. Dr. Paranjpe said that his study used Mendelian randomization (MR), which measures gene variation. Other studies did not use this statistical method. We do not know what the mechanism is that damages the heart vessels, but we know that living without smoking marijuana allows you to live a longer life without coronary artery disease.
