Weeds increase the risk of heart issues – even without smoking

Your best bud can be breaking your heart.

Although many Americans believe that daily use of marijuana is safer than tobacco, a new study suggests it can increase your risk of some serious cardiovascular issues.

Worse still, gummies, teas and tinctures seem to offer no advantage of lighting when it comes to a critical factor for your heart health.

High shares for your heart

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, included 55 inhabitants of the outer breast area, who regularly drank marijuana or consumed Edibles Thc.

None of the participants used nicotine, and all of them consumed cannabis at least three times a week for one year or more. Smokers on average 10 years of chronic use; Edible users, five.

The researchers found the functioning of blood vessels in regular cannabis users was about half of that of non-users-setting them at the same time with smokers of tobacco.

“We found that the vascular function was reduced by 42% in marijuana smokers and by 56% in Fundamental THC users compared to non -users,” Dr. Leila Mohammadi, the main author of the study said, told CNN.

This surprised co -author Dr. Matthew Springer. Groups like American Heart Association had previously suggested Edibles could be less harmful to the heart.

“When I first saw the result of THC, I said Leila,” considerably, this result of THC is really interesting, but the boy makes him deceive public health messages, “he told Sfgate.

In particular, researchers found that only marijuana smokers had harmful changes in their blood serum that adversely affected their endothelial cells.

These cells line the inside of the blood vessels and lymph and help regulate the blood flow.

Springer said this could mean smoking that marijuana gives a “double” heart damage.

Researchers emphasized that while their study shows a strong link between chronic marijuana or THC use and vascular damage, it does not eventually prove the connection.

However, it adds to increasing evidence that chronic use of cannabis can be bad news for the heart. A 2024 study found that daily use of marijuana increases the risk of heart attack by 25% and the risk of stroke by 42%.

â € œ the public (and medical fields) should see cannabis and THC itself as products that are not without health risks, â € Springer told newsweek.

â € œTHC seems to have some useful effects as well, so there must be a balance between the risk and the benefit that is best placed with both eyes open, ”he added.

Research suggests that marijuana has the potential to relieve chronic pain and reduce muscle spasms and MS related stiffness.

Cannabis products have also been shown to increase appetite in patients with HIV/AIDS and cancer, and fight chemist -related nausea.

Other possible benefits include relieving stress, alleviating PTSD symptoms and helping sleep in some people.

Springer and Mohammad are calling for longer, larger studies to reduce exactly how marijuana and THC affect heart health – and to find out if there is a safe level of use.

The study comes as more Americans are using marijuana regularly than ever before.

While alcohol is even more used in general, the severe use of marijuana defeated heavy drinking in 2022, according to Carnegie Mellon researchers.

That year, about 17.7 million Americans used cannabis daily or almost-day-compared to 14.7 million who drank it often. It marks a stunning 15-fold jump in chronic cannabis use since 1992.

Marijuana remains illegal federal, but 38 states and DCs have legalized it for medical use. Of these, 24 countries and DCs have also cleared the way to adults 21 or more to use it in a recreation.

Recent legalization efforts have aroused a boom in the use of cannabis. In 2024, 47% of Americans said they would try marijuana at least once – from 34% in 1999, according to Gallup Sonding.