Despite the tendency of marijuana users
to experience the "munchies," pot
smokers may have a lower risk of obesity that
those who don't use the drug, a new study finds.
The results show the
prevalence of obesity is lower among people who frequently smoke
pot compared with those who have never inhaled.
The researchers said they were surprised by their initial results,
because they expected to find the opposite. So they examined a
second sample of people, and found exactly the same result.
Together, the two samples studied more than 50,000 people.
The reason behind the link is not clear. It could be that people who
use cannabis also engage in other behaviors that lower their obesity
risk. Or it may be that
pot smokers exercise more or have a specific
diet that keeps them thin, said study researcher
Yann Le Strat, a psychiatrist at Louis Mourier Hospital in
France.
"On a personal point of view, I would be surprised that cannabis use
is associated with a higher rate of physical activity, but this
cannot be ruled out," Le Strat told MyHealthNewsDaily.
Another possibility is that components of cannabis may
help people lose weight. If this turns out to be the case,
researchers should investigate which components these might be and
try to put them into drug form, Le Strat said.
Cannabis and obesity
Cannabis use is known to increase appetite. In studies, drugs have
been developed to block a receptor in the
brain that is activated by cannabis compounds
(called the cannabinoid CB1 receptor) in the hope that the drugs
would reduce hunger. However, very few studies have looked at the
link between cannabis use and obesity.
Le Strat and colleagues examined data from two national surveys in
the
United States called the National Epidemiologic Survey on
Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) and the National Comorbidity
Survey—Replication, involving about 41,600 and 9,100 people,
respectively.
Between 4 and 7 percent of participants in these surveys reported
using cannabis at least once in the last year.
Obesity was assessed using participants'
body
mass
index (BMI).
The survey showed that about 22 to 25 percent of people who don't
smoke pot were obese, while 16 to 17 percent of cannabis users were
obese.
Obesity was less common among users who smoked pot more frequently.
For instance, the NESARC survey showed about 14 percent of
participants who used cannabis three days a week or more were obese,
the researchers said. Between 0.7 and 1.8 percent of the sample
smoked marijuana this frequently.
The participants reported their own BMI as well as cannabis use, so
if they did not give accurate estimates of these measurements, the
results could be skewed.
Don't smoke pot
Regardless of the effect of cannabis on obesity, Le Strat said she
does not recommend people smoke cannabis to
lose
weight. Cannabis has well-known physical and
mental health consequences, including an increased
risk of psychosis.
"As an addiction psychiatrist, I see every day people struggling
with cannabis dependence. I would not recommend smoking cannabis for
any reason," Le Strat said.
The study was published Aug. 24 in the American Journal of
Epidemiology. One of the authors of the study has submitted a patent
application in
Canada entitled ‘‘Use of Marijuana and Compounds Therein for
Treating Obesity."
Pass it on: Obesity is less common in people who
smoke cannabis.