Tag Archives: medicine

New study suggests pot smokers are skinnier – msnbc

Posted on by

“Could marijuana be the secret weapon in solving America’s obesity problem? A surprising new study published in the American Journal of Medicine suggested the health benefits of smoking pot may extend beyond pain relief.

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the University of Nebraska and the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study with 4,657 adults from 2005 to 2010–out of which 547 identified themselves as current marijuana users and 1,975 admitted to smoking at least once in the past (but more than a 30-day window). Participants got tested on their waist size and glucose, insulin and insulin resistance levels.

“We looked at their ability to handle carbohydrates, the ability of the body to handle sugar, and how well the body metabolizes it,” Dr. Murray Mittleman, one of the authors of that study, told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell.

The results? The study indicated that current pot smokers have much smaller waist circumferences — by about an inch, on average — compared to those who have never lit up, even after taking things like sex and age into consideration. Insulin levels for marijuana smokers compared to non-marijuana smokers were slashed by 16% and insulin resistance went down by 17%. And their “good”cholesterol was higher by three points.

“Several prior studies, actually, have indicated that marijuana users tend to be leaner, despite the fact that they do tend to consume more calories,” said Mittleman. “One of the caveats, I would say, about our findings is that it was based on self-report.  And really at this stage, we need much more solid research, including experimental studies, to really provide doctors with the evidence base to make recommendations.””

More: http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/05/16/new-study-suggests-pot-smokers-are-skinnier/

Cannabis use associated with lower blood sugar – Fox News

Posted on by

“A new study published in the American Journal of Medicine has revealed a potential benefit from the use of cannabis. The article, entitled “The Impact of Marijuana Use on Glucose, Insulin, and Insulin Resistance among U.S. Adults,” investigated the blood sugar-related effects of cannabis use among participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2010.”Marijuana

“The researchers found that subjects who were current cannabis users had lower levels of fasting insulin, lower levels of insulin resistance, smaller waist circumference, and higher levels of HDL cholesterol, which is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. This supported findings from earlier studies in which cannabis users showed improved weight, improved insulin resistance, and reduced incidence of diabetes, as compared with non-users.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/22/cannabis-use-associated-with-lower-blood-sugar/

Marijuana: The Next Diabetes Drug? – TIME

Posted on by
“Toking up may help marijuana users to stay slim and lower their risk of developing diabetes, according to the latest study, which suggests that cannabis compounds may help in controlling blood sugar.”
 
Close Up Of Marijuana Leaf
 

“Although marijuana has a well-deserved reputation for increasing appetite via what stoners call “the munchies,” the new research, which was published in the American Journal of Medicine, is not the first to find that the drug has a two-faced relationship to weight. Three prior studies have shown that marijuana users are less likely to be obese, have a lower risk for diabetes and have lower body-mass-index measurements. And these trends occurred despite the fact that they seemed to take in more calories.”

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/05/21/marijuana-the-next-diabetes-drug/

Despite the munchies: Marijuana might make you skinny

Posted on by

“Apparently one of the many side effects of marijuana is to make some people slimmer – despite the much-joked-about munchies.”

Apparently one of the many side effects of marijuana is to make some people slimmer - despite the much-joked-about munchies.
 
“We all know that the munchies and jokes about the munchies are a celebrated part of marijuana culture (pro and con). But it turns out that the munchies may not have as big an impact on waist size as one might think.

“We found significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences.”

So concludes a new study published in The American Journal of Medicine by scientists from Harvard, University of Nebraska and Beth Israel medical center.

Basically, the researchers found:

Of the participants in our study sample, 579 were current marijuana users and 1975 were past users. In multivariable adjusted models, current marijuana use was associated with 16% lower fasting insulin levels (95% confidence interval [CI], −26, −6) and 17% lower HOMA-IR (95% CI, −27, −6). We found significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences. Among current users, we found no significant dose-response.”

 

Read more: http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2013/05/16/despite-the-munchies-marijuana-might-make-you-skinny/

Regular Marijuana Users May Be Skinnier, Have Better Blood Sugar Control: Study

Posted on by

“People who regularly smoke marijuana may have better control of their blood sugar and may be skinnier than non-marijuana users, according to a new study.”

Marijuana Users Skinnier
 
“The research, published in the American Journal of Medicine, shows that people who reported regularly using marijuana had a lower risk of insulin resistance and had lower fasting insulin levels, compared with people who never used marijuana. Researchers also found an association between using marijuana and having a smaller waist circumference and higher levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, compared with non-users. The research was conducted by scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the University of Nebraska and the Harvard School of Public Health.”
 
 

The Marijuana Diet? Scientists find link between pot smoking and weight loss

Posted on by

“Low levels of insulin associated with users of marijuana. Vast ramifications seen.”

NR

 

“Smoking refer can help you better metabolize fats and carbs.

Go ahead, take another toke — the munchies don’t make you fat.

That’s the conclusion of a report published in the American Journal of Medicine, which found a strong correlation between marijuana use and a smaller waistband.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Nebraska, Harvard and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, examined 4,657 adults, 579 of whom regularly smoked reefer.

“We found significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences,” the researchers report.

Specifically, potheads had 16% lower levels of insulin than their non-smoking peers.

The hormone regulates metabolism of fat and carbs. The Atlantic noted that the findings perhaps explain why smokers of the wacky tobacky are less prone to diabetes.

Even people who had smoked weed in the past but did not currently puff showed similar, though less striking, results.”

 http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/smoke-pot-thin-article-1.1345812

Smoking marijuana linked to lower diabetes risk in study – CBS News

Posted on by
A man smokes marijuana on the official opening night of Club 64, a marijuana-specific social club, where a New Year's Eve party was held, in Denver, on Dec. 31, 2012

“You may have heard that marijuana smokers get hungry after using the drug, and the authors of a new study point out that marijuana users tend to take in more calories than their counterparts.

But, their study found that pot smokers aren’t any more likely to be obese than non-smokers. Equally surprising, the researchers found marijuana may actually be a tool in controlling blood sugar — and may be key in helping diabetics keep their condition in check.

The new study, which was published on May 15 in The American Journal of Medicine, showed that regular marijuana use was linked to significantly lower levels of fasting insulin. Smokers were also less likely to be insulin resistant, a condition where the body’s cells no longer respond to a hormone that controls carbohydrates and fat metabolism called insulin. High levels of fasting insulin and insulin resistance could lead to diabetes.”

Read more:http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57584924/smoking-marijuana-linked-to-lower-diabetes-risk-in-study/

Regular Cannabis Users ‘Have Better Blood Sugar Control’

Posted on by

“People who regularly use cannabis have better blood sugar control than those who do not, providing implications for use of the drug in diabetic control.”

Cannabis users have lower blood sugar levels than non-users (Reuters)

“Research published in the American Journal of Medicine found current marijuana users are less likely to be insulin resistant and have significantly lower fasting insulin levels, even after patients with diabetes were excluded from the study. 

The ream found cannabis users’ fasting insulin levels were 16% lower than non-users…

Cannabis in becoming increasingly used for medical purposes, with the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) approved in the US as a treatment for the side effect of chemotherapy. It is legal for recreational use in two states and 19 for medical use.

The researchers looked at data obtained through the National Health and Nutrition Survey between 2005 and 2010.

They looked at questionnaires from 4,657 people, of which 579 were regular cannabis users, 1,975 had used marijuana but not regularly and 2,103 had never used the drug.

Insulin and glucose were measured through blood samples after a nine hour fast and insulin resistance was calculated.

The team found that people who had used cannabis in the last month had lower levels of fasting insulin and insulin resistance and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), which is associated with better cardiovascular health…”

Read more: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/467817/20130515/cannabis-marijuana-lower-blood-sugar-levels-diabetes.htm

Better Diabetic Control Seen In Marijuana Users

Posted on by
 
“Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) has been used ritualistically for thousands of years and, for centuries, has been used as a way to relieve pain, improve mood and increase appetite. While several studies have given the wacky tobacky, as it is referred to by some, a bad rap, others have shown some positives. One such positive is the role marijuana may play in preventing PTSD symptoms from occurring. In another newly published paper, researchers have shown that regular marijuana may help with diabetes control.

Investigators from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, published a paper in the current issue of the The American Journal of Medicine detailing how marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant than those who did not smoke the weed. The researchers noted that this remained true even after excluding patients who had a diagnosis of diabetes…

For the current study, the BIDMC team analyzed data obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) between 2005 and 2010. Their research included data from 4,657 patients who completed a drug use questionnaire. Of these, 579 were current marijuana users, 1,975 had used it in the past, and 2,103 had never used the drug recreationally or medicinally. The team measured fasting insulin and glucose via blood samples after patients fasted for nine hours. The team also evaluated insulin resistance via homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).

The researchers found that those who reported using marijuana in the past month had lower levels of fasting insulin and HOMA-IR and higher levels of HDL “good” cholesterol. Those who reported not using marijuana at any time in the last month had weaker associations, suggesting to the team that marijuana use on insulin and insulin resistance exists only during recent use. Current users had 16 percent lower fasting insulin levels than those who reported never using marijuana.

The team also found a link between marijuana use and waistlines. While diabetes is often associated with larger waistlines, the study group found that marijuana users most often had smaller waistlines.”

Read more: http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112847494/marijuana-use-helps-manage-insulin-diabetic-control-051513/

Novel study reports marijuana users have better blood sugar control

Posted on by

“Regular marijuana use is associated with favorable indices related to diabetic control, say investigators. They found that current marijuana users had significantly lower fasting insulin and were less likely to be insulin resistant, even after excluding patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Their findings are reported in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine…

Editor-in-Chief Joseph S. Alpert, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, comments, “These are indeed remarkable observations that are supported, as the authors note, by basic science experiments that came to similar conclusions.

“We desperately need a great deal more basic and clinical research into the short- and long-term effects of marijuana in a variety of clinical settings such as cancer, diabetes, and frailty of the elderly,” continues Alpert.” I would like to call on the NIH and the DEA to collaborate in developing policies to implement solid scientific investigations that would lead to information assisting physicians in the proper use and prescription of THC in its synthetic or herbal form.””

Read more: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-marijuana-users-blood-sugar.html