Cannabis Cures… Obesity?

“Contrary to the stigma of pot smokers being fat and lazy, driven to chow down on Doritos and Milk Duds by the ever-so-common “munchies” effect of cannabis, new studies show that pot smokers are less likely to be obese than non-smokers.

The cannabis study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, led by Dr. Yann Le Strat, a psychiatrist at Louis-Mourier Hospital in Colombes, France. He and his colleagues studied the weight differences between pot smokers and non-pot smokers based on two epidemiologic studies of U.S. adults. Non-pot smokers weighed in with 22%-25.3% obesity rates. Those who toke at least three times a week had obesity rates of just 14.3-17.2%. That means pot smokers are far more likely to be thin than their non-smoking counterparts.

Say what? The researchers did a double take, too. They hypothesized that since marijuana is known to increase appetites, surely smokers would weight more. Le Strat and his colleagues were so surprised by the results in the first study that they reassessed a completely different sample and found the same results.

“We found that cannabis users are less likely to be obese than non-users,” said Le Strat, as quoted by MSNBC. “We were so surprised, we thought we had [made] a mistake. Or that our results were due to the sample we studies. So we turned to another completely independent sample and found exactly the same association.””

 http://blog.420petition.com/international-marijuana-news/cannabis-research-cures-obesity/

Pot Smokers May Have Lower Risk of Obesity

“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.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/06/pot-smokers-may-have-lower-risk-obesity/#ixzz29gdL3zlB

Marijuana Slims? Why Pot Smokers Are Less Obese

“If cannabis causes the munchies, how is it possible that pot smokers are thinner than nonsmokers?

A new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology finds an intriguing connection between marijuana use and body weight, showing that rates of obesity are lower by roughly a third in people who smoke pot at least three times a week, compared with those who don’t use marijuana at all.

Researchers analyzed data from two large national surveys of the American population, which together included some 52,000 participants. In the first survey, they found that 22% of those who did not smoke marijuana were obese, compared with just 14% of the regular marijuana smokers. The second survey found that 25% of nonsmokers were obese, compared with 17% of regular cannabis users.”

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/08/marijuana-slims-pot-smoking-linked-to-lower-body-weight/#ixzz29gb31XKW

Pot Smokers May Have Lower Risk of Obesity

“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.”

http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/1651-cannabis-obesity-risk.html