Can the use of marijuana lead to heart disease?

For those who use marijuana regularly, there’s some bad news. A new study has found that people who use marijuana every day are more susceptible to coronary artery disease (CAD). The research presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) said that daily users of the drug were one-third more likely to be diagnosed with CAD as compared to those who have never used it. This study comes at a time when more and more states in America are legalising the recreational use of marijuana. What is CAD and what has the study found? Let’s understand. What is CAD? Coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis is the most common type of heart disease in the United States, says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Also known as coronary heart disease or ischemic heart disease, CAD occurs due to plaque buildup in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

According to Cleveland Clinic, people with CAD might not notice anything is amiss till the plaque – made up of deposits of cholesterol and other materials – causes a blood clot. This clot then prevents blood from reaching the heart and thus triggers a heart attack. The US CDC notes that for some people, the first sign of coronary artery disease is a heart attack. Its symtoms include chest pain or discomfort (angina), shortness of breath, weakness, light-headedness, nausea, and pain in the arms or shoulder. ALSO READ: Why Amsterdam is banning marijuana use in its red light district What has the new study found? The researchers analysed data on people taking part in the All of Us Research Program under which health information of more than one million people in the US is gathered over time, reported CNN. The study divided the participants into five groups on the basis of their cannabis use – daily users, weekly users, monthly users, those who used once or twice in three months and those who never used weed. [caption id=“attachment_12207262” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] People who used cannabis only monthly did not have a significant risk of CAD. Reuters (Representational Image)[/caption] Then, the researchers used this to compare these categories with their medical records spanning several years.

They found that daily users of marijuana were 34 per cent more likely to have coronary artery disease than those who had never used the drug.

The researchers also discovered that those who used cannabis only once a month or less did not have a significant risk of developing CAD, as per CNN. “We found that cannabis use is linked to CAD, and there seems to be a dose-response relationship in that more frequent cannabis use is associated with a higher risk of CAD,” Ishan Paranjpe, MD, a resident physician at Stanford University and the study’s lead author, said in a statement published by ACC. “In terms of the public health message, it shows that there are probably certain harms of cannabis use that weren’t recognised before, and people should take that into account.” As per the ACC statement, the researchers used Mendelian randomisation (MR) to identify a “causal relationship between cannabis use disorder and CAD risk”. MR is a method where gene variations are measured to “examine how certain behaviours, environments, or other factors lead to specific health outcomes”, as per CDC. “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,” Paranjpe told CNN. It has to be pointed out that the researchers did not study how the varying uses of cannabis – such as smoking the drug or consuming it in the form of edibles – could make a difference in the risk of developing CAD. How marijuana affects the heart? CDC says that marijuana can increase heart rate and blood pressure immediately after each use. “Marijuana smoke also delivers many of the same substances researchers have found in tobacco smoke — these substances are harmful to the lungs and cardiovascular system,” as per the agency. Studies have also claimed that the risk of heart disease and heart attack is higher in people who use marijuana. [caption id=“attachment_12207272” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Cannabis can increase heart rate and blood pressure immediately after each use. AP (Representational Image)[/caption] Previous research published in the journal Cell in 2022 said that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the substance of the cannabis plants that creates a high – not only binds to the receptor in the brain but also binds to that receptor in blood vessels. Thus, using THC repeatedly could activate that receptor in such a manner that it causes inflammation in blood vessels. “The public has this perception — in my opinion, misperception — that marijuana is completely safe and it’s healthy for you. But in reality, this study shows a high dose of THC, the main component of marijuana, causes vascular inflammation,” Joseph Wu, the study’s senior author and the director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, said then, as per NBC News.  In 2020, the American Heart Association warned that smoking or vaping any substance, including marijuana, could affect the heart, lungs and blood vessels, reported CNN. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.