Cannabis may increase your diabetes risk 4 times, study warns
What's the story
Cannabis use could nearly quadruple the risk of developing diabetes, a new study has revealed. The research, presented at this year's Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria, analyzed real-world data from over four million adults. It was led by Dr. Ibrahim Kamel from Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts, USA.
Research approach
How the study was conducted
The study examined electronic health records from 54 healthcare organizations in the US and Europe. It identified 96,795 outpatients aged between 18 and 50 with cannabis-related diagnoses between 2010 and 2018. These patients were then compared to a control group of over four million healthy individuals who had no record of substance use or major chronic conditions at the start of the study.
Risk assessment
Key findings of the research
After controlling for various lifestyle risk factors, the researchers found that new cases of diabetes were significantly higher in the cannabis group (2.2%) than in the healthy group (0.6%). Statistical analysis showed that cannabis users are at nearly four times greater risk of developing diabetes than non-users. The authors suggest this association could be due to insulin resistance and unhealthy dietary behaviors.
Health impact
Need for metabolic monitoring
The study's findings underscore the need for metabolic monitoring and public health messaging around cannabis use. "As cannabis becomes more widely available and socially accepted, it is essential to understand its potential health risks," said Dr. Kamel. He stressed the importance of integrating diabetes risk awareness into substance use disorder treatment and counseling, as well as routine discussions about cannabis use between healthcare professionals and patients.
Research gap
More research needed to establish causation
The authors of the study have called for more research to fully explain the link between cannabis and diabetes. They also want to know if these risks are limited to inhaled products or extend to other forms of cannabis such as edibles. Despite its important findings, this retrospective study cannot prove that cannabis use causes diabetes due to possible unmeasured confounding factors.