As more states legalize marijuana (cannabis) in medical or recreational form, there is renewed interest on the metabolic effects from its use. This study evaluated how current marijuana use affects body weight and cardiovascular risk factors among black patients in Brooklyn.
Socio-demographic, laboratory and clinical data were collected on 100 black patients with an average age of 46, 57% of which were female. Evaluations were made regarding total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides, body mass index and systolic blood pressure.
The authors concluded that current marijuana use is associated with significantly smaller waist size compared to former users or never users. In addition, current marijuana use was associated with a tendency toward a more favorable cardiovascular profile in all the above listed parameters except systolic blood pressure, which was lower than normal.
