Survey data collected over multiple years from more than 430,000 U.S. adults suggests a strong, statistically significant association between cannabis use and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly heart attack and stroke. ing.

The open-access study, published this week in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that people who used cannabis daily were 25 percent more likely to have a heart attack and 42 percent more likely to have a stroke than non-users. It turned out to be high. Use cannabis at all.

However, the national survey data collected from 2016 to 2020 also included data on people who used cannabis less than daily. Survey respondents were asked how many days in the past 30 days they used cannabis, which allowed researchers to estimate the odds of cardiovascular disease along the entire spectrum of cannabis use. They found a nearly linear dose-response, with increased risk associated with more days of use per month.

Although this is not the first time researchers have found an association between cannabis use and cardiovascular disease, this study is one of the largest to date, with a sample size of 3-17% compared to previous studies. It has doubled. Its size not only increased the significance of the link, but also allowed the researchers to drill into other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

clear link

One common complicating factor is that people who use cannabis often also use tobacco products, which themselves increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The new study, led by Abra Jeffers at Massachusetts General Hospital, allowed researchers to perform two additional analyses. One looked at the risk of cardiovascular disease in people who used cannabis but had never used tobacco products, and the other looked at people who had never used tobacco products. Although he used cannabis, he had never used tobacco products or e-cigarettes. People who used marijuana were still more likely to have a heart attack or stroke if they did not use tobacco. People who didn’t use tobacco or e-cigarettes only had a higher chance of having a stroke.

The researchers also looked at another complicating factor: age. Heart disease can take years or decades to develop, but people who use cannabis tend to skew younger. The study involved 434,104 people between the ages of 18 and 74, and the analysis adjusted for other health factors such as alcohol intake, diabetes, BMI and physical activity. When researchers looked only at adults considered to be at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (men under 55 and women under 65), they found that cannabis use increased the odds of developing early-onset cardiovascular disease. was also found to increase. This link was unrelated to tobacco or e-cigarette use.

Taken together, the researchers say, “These data suggest that cannabis use may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and may be a risk factor for early-onset cardiovascular disease. ” concludes. They added that this is especially concerning because acceptance and use of cannabis is increasing in the United States and awareness of its health risks is decreasing.

Limitations

However, this study has limitations that make it impossible to draw firm conclusions that cannabis causes cardiovascular disease. The study was based on self-reported data on both cardiovascular health and cannabis use, both of which may be unreliable. It also relied on data collected at specific points in time.Some people may have turned to cannabis use rear For example, you are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than before. Survey data does not allow for that distinction. It’s just making an association. The authors point out that cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes had not previously been identified as the main reasons why people use cannabis. This alleviates the converse concern that cardiovascular disease increases the likelihood of cannabis use. However, researchers note that many studies have linked cannabis use to chronic pain, insomnia, and anxiety, all of which are also associated with cardiovascular disease. Finally, the survey data does not include data on people’s actual cardiovascular health, such as blood pressure or lipid profiles.

Another question in this study is the route of cannabis use and its role in the association with cardiovascular disease. About 74% of cannabis users in the study reported smoking cannabis, which, like cigarettes, can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by inhaling particulate matter into the lungs. There is. It is unclear whether edible cannabis products attenuate the association seen in this study.

However, the authors note that there is a biologically plausible link between cannabis and cardiovascular disease. Cell-signaling receptors (endocannabinoid receptors) that detect compounds in cannabis are ubiquitous throughout the cardiovascular system, researchers note. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive substance in cannabis, can also increase blood pressure and heart rate during use.