A new analysis of an ongoing large government-funded study reveals that people who are frequent cannabis users run the risk of developing pre-diabetes when they enter middle adulthood.
Taking the lead of the analysis is Michael Bancks, a University of Minnesota PhD student. He worked with the data available in the Coronary Artery Risk Assessment Development in Young Adults or CARDIA, with a grant coming from the National Institutes of Health (NHI). The participants in this research were at least 18 to 30 years old during the beginning of the study in the 1980s.
Based on his analysis, those who reported to be regular users of cannabis while they were still young-that is, they smoked for at least 100 times annually-had a 40% increased risk of prediabetes once they are already in the middle age.
Prediabetes is a metabolic condition characterized by an abnormally high level of glucose (blood sugar). However, it's still not high enough to be considered as diabetes.
Interestingly, though, the same study points that marijuana use doesn't have any link to type 2 diabetes, which is more associated with serious complications such as kidney failure and nerve damage.
His analysis has merit considering previous studies have already claimed that cannabis can aid in weight loss, thereby reducing the risk of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. It also contradicts researches that suggest marijuana can lead to the decline of the risk of having diabetes.
The researcher and his team cannot explain the reason why cannabis can increase the risk of pre-diabetes but not diabetes. However, he theorizes that it could be because the drug has a different impact on diabetes: its effect is stronger when a person is diagnosed with pre-diabetes.
A recent study reveals that more than 25% of the U.S. population isn't aware that they already have diabetes. Because of the serious impact these conditions can have on the person's health, doctors should work on providing in-depth and relevant information to patients regularly.
The results are found in Diabetologia published on September 13.
