Heart disease is the number one killer, and while there’s a lot of associations between heart disease and the usage of cigarettes, one thing that people have started to look at is the possibility of whether or not cannabis may offer the same risks. Another new study that was done by researchers actually looked at the possible association between marijuana and its use, and the possibility of increased chances of myocardial infections. There are also some ways to see how THC may trigger inflammation, and also how it may contribute to atherosclerosis, and some findings on how it may also block inflammation too.
The Research is Mixed
A big thing to remember is that there are results from this that are mixed, and also not conclusive too. There was a statement put out directly by the American heart association, and it was seen as a possible greenlight to say that marijuana is safe, as the authors said it’s based on the information available currently.
It’s been found that the lifetime and the current recent usage of cannabis did not show any increase in cadence in heart disease of any time, and the mortality of such. The evidence, however, is not conclusive for any outcomes on a cardiovascular level, and it also does need to have better studies.
A lot of researchers have started to worry about the challenges that are created through the illegality of the usage of marijuana, and also, how it’s forbidden. A lot of these studies are based on broad amounts of trends, or the information from self-reports. The data does induce a lot of inaccuracy, and other variables, including a frequency of the usage, and the information lacking on the products that get consumed.
Another thing is the behaviors that are confounding, and usually need to also be looked at, such as the consumption of alcohol, the health overall, and the usage of tobacco too.
The potential Risks
There was another study that actually looked at new risk assessments, that were found based on information within the U.K Biobank, which is a big study of more than 500,000 different people up to the age of 69, and it was done over a ten-year period. This was found that those who used marijuana did identify as having more risks for heart attacks when they turned 50. Another risk assessment that looked at the controls for their age, and also their sex and BMI as well.
They didn’t have tobacco use on this as another variable, however. When they used cannabis as a specific risk factor that was controlled when they looked at the age and the BMI, it was found that they couldn’t address the entire sample size. When they analyzed the base effect and also whether or not they also had cigarette smoking, this hazard ratio when it came to how many cardiovascular events would happen tended to be more than just smoking regular cigarettes.
Those who had a history of issues with the heart, tend to be at a much higher risk for those heart problems, and it’s important that, if you do have a history of this, you may want to consult with someone, as well in order to determine the correct types of therapies for you.
Right now, the studies that we have are quite limited, and it’s imperative to make sure that you also take a look at these studies, and everything that may play a part. We still don't know, but there is a lot of research that looks into the potential that this has for people.
