People Who Smoke Weed Less Likely to Be Obese, Study
New research took on the possible relationship between cannabis use and obesity and what it found is that people who consume marijuana regularly are less likely to struggle with being obese. The study results are consistent with previous research on the same topic. It strikes an intriguing question. As adult-use cannabis products become more widely available across the US with the ongoing legalization, could it potentially lead to a drop in obesity rates?
Unpopular stats say that nearly 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. experience being overweight. In addition, over 2 in 5 adults have obesity, including severe obesity, according to NIH, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Ozempic is the new wonder drug that a lot of people with obesity have used to significantly reduce their weight. Eating healthy foods and drinking healthy beverages, following dietary guidelines given by nutritionists and engaging in exercise, can all help bring down some of those extra pounds. Could marijuana also be added to this list?
Despite smoking a joint is often associated with getting the munchies and being lazy, the latest research again shows that things are not as black and white.
Research Links Regular Cannabis Use with Lower Body Mass Index
A regular marijuana consumer is less likely to be obese than a person who don’t smoke or take weed in any other form, according to a new study, published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. Or as the report concludes: “Marijuana use is correlated with lower BMI.”
The report which probed into “dose-response relationship between marijuana use” goes on to say that those who’ve used cannabis within the month past were “31% less likely to be obese than non-users.” Moreover, daily recreational users “are 32% less likely to be obese than non-users.”
On the other hand, lower rates of past-month cannabis use were linked with higher likelihood of obesity. The frequency of use among obese individuals was 35 percent lower than non-obese survey respondents.
The results were consistent with various demographic groups, with various factors being taken into account, such as employment status of the survey respondent, their medical record, history of tobacco use, whether they live in a legal state or not, and more.
The report was prepared by Ray Merrill, a professor at Brigham Young University’s Public Health department, who used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. That is a telephone survey of U.S. adults, conducted between 2016 and 2022. During those years, a total of 735,921 individuals agreed to answer questions from an optional survey model that asked about cannabis use and habits.
Another find is that, during the same period, the prevalence of past-month marijuana use roughly went up twice as much. From 7.48 percent at the start year of the survey to nearly 15 percent at the end.
Between 2016 and 2022 was a period where many jurisdictions relaxed rules on cannabis, and it’s in those places that past-month cannabis use increased the most. Past-month use went up nine percent in areas with legal medical marijuana; a spike of 81% was observed in places with legal adult-use cannabis (vs. illegal).
Underweight People Tend to Be Among Most Frequent Weed Users
Another take from Professor Merrill’s research is that people who were underweight were more likely to be in the group of most frequent recreational cannabis users.
The report does not discuss the possible mechanisms behind cannabis’ relation to body mass, but it does concur with claims that cannabis “may be useful in managing nausea and, as supported by the results of this and other studies, weight loss.”
Health care providers “should view this outcome with the known health risks associated with marijuana use,” the study notes.
“Clinicians should identify patients using marijuana and discuss the potential risks and benefits from the drug for their medical conditions and overall health,” Merrill wrote in the report.
As early as 2014 a study came out with similar results as seen in the recent report authored by Professor Merrill. “Obesity is actually lower in those who use marijuana compared to nonusers,” researchers wrote in 2014 as they studied and compared users and non-users.
Several other study efforts in between suggest that frequent use of marijuana is associated with lower body weight, while at the same time, many medical users help themselves with the herb medicine to improve their appetite and recover from health conditions that caused them to excessively lose weight, muscles and stamina.
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Stephen Andrews
