Study concludes cannabis users do not show increased heart disease risk factors

Published in November 2023 in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, this study examined data collected by the US National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2018.

The authors included almost 14,000 people without cardiovascular disease and looked for known cardiovascular risk factors and biomarkers. About 27% of the participants self-reported that they were current users of marijuana.

The medical term for the factors examined is adverse atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk factors and biomarkers. They adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, including tobacco use.

Results and authors' conclusions:

analysis showed no significant differences in the burden and control of hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and physical activity levels

mean 10-year ASCVD risk scores, 30-year Framingham risk scores, and cardiometabolic profiles including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1C were similar between current and never users.

This cross-sectional study found no association between self-reported marijuana use and increased burden of traditional ASCVD risk factors, estimated long-term ASCVD risk, or cardiometabolic profiles.

Unfortunately, the full text article is behind a paywall. The article abstract is here at AHAJournals.org.

Source:

Alhassan HA, Akunor H, Howard A, Donohue J, Kainat A, Onyeaka HK, Aiyer A. Comparison of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Cardiometabolic Profiles Between Current and Never Users of Marijuana. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2023 Nov;16(11):e009609. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.122.009609. Epub 2023 Oct 20. PMID: 37860878.