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Prakat Karki
Aug 276 min read

Bong Appetit: Are Cannabis/Marijuana users Physically Healthier than Non-users?- Examining the Paradoxical Association between Cannabis Use and Body Weight/BMI

Updated: Aug 28

A research article published recently in the Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research journal reported that cannabis use was associated with lower Body Mass Index (BMI) or obesity rates among adults in the US (Merrill, 2024). The article published on 19th August, 2024 is based on the findings from 735.921 adults who were part of the nationwide Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (part of CDC) between 2016 and 2022. The finding that prevalence of cannabis use was 35 percent lower among obese participants than non-obese ones has been picked up and reported in the previous ten days by a number of news agencies and cannabis centered media houses such as MSN, Marijuana Moment, Born2Invest, BenZinga, Mugglehead Magazine, Times of Cannabis, etc. The research findings are particularly surprising considering that cannabis use is generally associated with overeating (or munchies), and most people assume the opposite relationship between cannabis use and body weight/BMI. However, the research findings are not novel and the perplexing association between cannabis use and body weight has been documented in scientific literature for at least two decades now.

Cannabis is often regarded as a soft drug and it is gradually being legalized in most countries for medicinal and/or recreational use. It is also the most widely used illicit drug in most countries including India, and its common derivatives include marijuana/ganja, hashish, bhang, etc. (Johnston et al., 2019; Ambekar et al., 2019). The pop portrayal of cannabis use in media generally depicts it as a fun drug that makes people feel good, act silly and also very hungry. Indeed, most people believe that cannabis use leads to overeating and this has even led to its supposed utility in treating eating disorders or low body weight. While there is some evidence that cannabis helps improve appetite and body weight among low weight individuals, the same isn’t true for individuals who are not underweight (Sansone & Sansone, 2014). There have been a number of research studies in the previous two decades, which have repeatedly found the same association between cannabis use and body weight/BMI; that individuals with obesity/high BMI have significantly lower cannabis use (lifetime or current) than non obese or physically fitter people. This includes a national nutritional survey of 14,000 youths (Smit et al., 2007), a 15-year longitudinal study among 3,617 young adults (Rodondi et al., 2006), joint national epidemiological studies covering 52,000 youths (Le Strat et al., 2011; Alshaarawy et al., 2019), and another longitudinal study of 2,566 youths (Hayatbaksh et al., 2010). A number of meta analyses and systematic reviews have also confirmed this finding as stable evidence rather than a chance occurrence (Clark et al., 2018; Reis et al., 2024). So how come cannabis users are physically healthier than non users?

There are a number of supposed reasons for this phenomenon. Researchers have speculated various biological factors such as regulation of omega-6/omega-3 endocannabinoid precursors in the brain, which can lead to decreased energy expenditure and better physical functioning (The Week, 2015; Fearby et al., 2022). Studies have also found that cannabis users generally tended to be more physically active, outdoors more often and eat more fruits and vegetables (contrary to popular beliefs) (Norml, 2023). Others have highlighted the difference between recreational (or acute) and chronic use (or abuse) of cannabis, and in the latter, low body weight could be due to use of other drugs alongside cannabis or the decrease in salience of food rewards due to addiction/dependence (Sansone & Sansone, 2014). Moreover, body weight and BMI are only basic anthropometric indicators of health and use of cannabis (and other drugs) definitely impact physical health in other ways not directly apparent in body weight. Also, it has to be clearly stated that none of the studies quoted above proved that smoking cannabis causes weight loss (Jaslow, 2011). It only meant that people who use cannabis are also more likely to be more physically active, social and open to new experiences such that cannabis use is simply one of many parameters the two group differ on. Nonetheless, the exact mechanism behind the association between cannabis use and body weight is still under investigation, and it could just be a case of correlation rather than causation.


In conclusion, cannabis use is not a proven scientific method to shed body weight. For anyone looking to lose some weight, you have better chances by joining a gym or going for jogs, rather than taking up a drug and risk getting addicted. You might get the munchies and gain weight instead. People who use cannabis regularly might have lower body weight; however, the long term negative effects of cannabis use (or most drug use) on physical and mental health also need to be fully considered.


Post Notes

  • Another recent study published in Journal of Cannabis Research (BMC) found that history of cannabis use was associated with significantly lower odds of Covid‑19‑related hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, and death compared to those without history of cannabis use (Igwe & Alaribe, 2024- https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-024-00228-w). This was based on data from 1.6 million hospitalizations during COVID-19 in the US.


References


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Convidado:
28 de ago.

Really interesting read and finding

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Convidado:
27 de ago.
Avaliado com 5 de 5 estrelas.

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