Data from this study was gathered from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey from 1988-1994. The total sample was 10,896 adults. Marijuana (cannabis) use was based on self-reporting.
There were 4 groups determined by marijuana use. 61% were non-users, 30% were past users, 5% were light users (1-4 times/month), and 3% were heavy users (5+ times/month).
The authors findings led to the conclusion that marijuana use was independently associated with less diabetes. The hypothesis is that protection is achieved from the anti-inflammatory and immune moderating properties of this natural medicine, but further investigation is warranted.
