Study: Pot Use Linked With Lower Risk of Liver Disease

While alcohol consumption is a well-known cause of liver damage, the opposite may be true for cannabis smoking.

That’s the result of new research Published late last month of Proswan.

After examining a sample of “nationally representative” Americans, the researchers found that “current marijuana use is inversely associated with steatosis, a condition caused by too much fat in the liver.” said he did.

“The pathophysiology is unclear and requires further research. No significant association was established between marijuana use and liver fibrosis, regardless of past or current use,” they wrote. .

The study, conducted by a group of Chinese researchers, aims to assess the association between marijuana use and fatty liver and fibrosis in the general U.S. population, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). It is said.

“This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2017–2018 cycle of the NHANES. consists of,” the study authors said in their method description. The median control attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measure (LSM) were used to assess hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, respectively. After adjusting for relevant confounders, logistic regression analysis was performed. was used to assess the association between marijuana use and liver steatosis and fibrosis.”

Researchers analyzed 2,622 participants.

“The percentage of people who never used marijuana, the percentage of people who used marijuana in the past, and the percentage of people who currently use marijuana were 45.9%, 35.0%, and 19.1%, respectively. Compared with nonusers, former and current marijuana users had a lower prevalence of fatty liver (P = 0.184 and P = 0.048, respectively),” the researchers wrote. “In a model adjusted for alcohol intake, current marijuana use was an independent predictor of lower prevalence of fatty liver in people with moderate alcohol intake. Association between marijuana use and liver fibrosis.” sex was not significant in univariate and multivariate regression.”

Steatosis, also known as “fatty liver disease,” “affects 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 10 children in the United States.” According to the Cleveland Clinic.

“There are no specific drugs for fatty liver disease. Instead, doctors focus on helping them manage the factors that contribute to the condition, and lifestyle changes that can significantly improve their health. We also recommend it,” said the Cleveland Clinic.

Despite the study’s intriguing findings, Chinese researchers cautioned.

“Nevertheless, the current study has several limitations. First, it was an observational study. Causality cannot be inferred and correlations must be interpreted as associations. Second, marijuana use was based on self-reports, and skewed distributions of marijuana use numbers could lead to misclassification and limit the ability to conduct secondary analyzes on days of cannabis use,” they wrote. writes.

“Such imprecise reporting may introduce bias against the null hypothesis for the results. Third, physical activity and diet were not included in the analysis. We could not exclude primary liver disease, such as biliary cirrhosis or Wilson’s disease, or use of adipogenic drugs, depending on the type of marijuana and the prevalence of fatty liver and fibrosis between marijuana use and cirrhosis. We were also unable to assess a dose-response relationship between

They further added: “In conclusion, we found that current marijuana use is inversely associated with fatty liver. The study shows promise for the treatment and prevention of fatty liver disease.”