Lighting up or smoking an edible may reduce your risk of cognitive decline, in response to a brand new study comparing recreational cannabis users to non-users. As Marijuana is just not without health risksThese results got here as a surprise even to the scientists behind the study.
Researcher on State University of New York Upstate Medical University found that non-medical cannabis use – no matter how or how often it was used – reduced an individual’s likelihood of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) by 96%. The results were published within the journal in February Current Alzheimer’s research.
“I expected cannabis to be associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline because that is broadly what is consistent previous research“, co-author of the study Roger Wong, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University Norton College of Medicinetold Assets. “I was amazed at the opposite finding.”
Dual use of cannabis, for each medical and non-medical purposes, in addition to medical use alone, also correlated with reduced risk of SCD, self-reported worsening, or increased frequency of confusion or memory loss. However, these relationships weren’t statistically significant.
Previous research suggests this People with SCD are 2.5 times more more likely to develop dementia and 1.8 times more more likely to develop dementia mild cognitive impairment. According to the study, roughly one in nine U.S. adults ages 45 and older suffer from SCD Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“We currently have no way to prevent dementia,” says Wong. “But if we can prevent subjective cognitive decline at the outset and track it, we will hopefully solve some of the problems we currently have with dementia later in life.”
SCD is commonest in medical cannabis users
Wong and Zhi Chen, a doctoral candidate in public health used the CDCs 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to review nearly 4,800 U.S. adults ages 45 and older. To screen for SCD, the great health survey included the query: “During the past 12 months, have you experienced confusion or memory loss that has become more frequent or worsened?”
Regarding respondents’ cannabis use, Wong and Chen examined the next:
- Frequency of use within the last month: 0-30 days
- Purpose of use: Non-user, medical, non-medical, each medical and non-medical (dual)
- Type of consumption: Non-user, smoking, eating, drinking, vaping, dabbing or other
The researchers weighted the sample size in order that the nearly 4,800 respondents represented greater than 563,000 people. About 53% were women, 46% were Asian and 16% were 60-64 years old, a bigger proportion than every other age group. A 3rd of those surveyed rated their health as “very good”. Of the 8% who used cannabis, 3% used it primarily for medicinal purposes. Smoking was by far essentially the most common approach to consumption and on average, respondents had consumed cannabis 1.4 times within the last 30 days.
Among cannabis users with SCD cognitive decline was commonest in individuals who used cannabis for medical reasons, followed by dual and recreational users. Further data evaluation showed a statistically significant association between non-medical use and a 96% reduced likelihood of sudden heart disease.
Connection between cannabis, sleep and dementia
Two caveats could explain Wong’s results, which show correlation reasonably than causation, he says Assets. First, much of the prevailing literature on cannabis and cognition focuses on frequency of use. While Wong found that increased cannabis use was correlated with cognitive decline, the association was not statistically significant. Second, previous research has shown that cannabis use is harmful to youth, whereas this study focuses on middle-aged and older adults, he says.
“I tried to expand on previous research by not just looking at frequency, but also paying attention to it Why You consume cannabis and How They use cannabis,” says Wong, “because there are different chemicals and different compounds in non-medical and medical cannabis that I think are really crucial.”
Brooke WorsterAssistant Professor within the MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Business program at Thomas Jefferson Universityclarifies that the composition of cannabis could have a greater impact on cognitive decline than whether it is meant for medical or recreational use.
“It can be great to know ‘what concentration or what percentage of it’ THC versus CBD was in what you employ?’” Worster says Assets. “That’s the problem in general: the vast majority of adults who use cannabis for any reason don’t really know what it’s made of.”
The trigger for Wong’s research can also play a very important role: sleep. In a study published last yr within the American Journal of Preventive MedicineHe had discovered that sleep disorders can increase the danger of dementia. Wong said he had received feedback from several individuals who said they’d used cannabis as a sleep aid and desired to know whether it increased their risk of dementia.
“Let’s say when someone uses it – whether they find it medicinal or not – it helps them relax and enjoy a Friday night. It also helps them relax and fall asleep,” says Worster. “You could argue that this is in some way health or medical-related.”
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U.S. cannabis laws pose a barrier to research
A key limitation of Wong’s study is that the legality of cannabis use varies greatly from state to state. And for the reason that data covers 2021 alone, more longitudinal studies are needed, says Wong. Furthermore, he suspects that BRFSS underestimates cannabis consumption.
“We rely on people to self-report whether or not they use cannabis,” explains Wong Assets. “There may be some bias depending on whether they currently live in a state where cannabis is illegal for medical or non-medical reasons.”
Researchers also depend on survey participants’ interpretations of their very own cognitive health, Worster points out, noting the subjectivity inherent in defining SCD. Future studies of objective cognitive decline could also be helpful.
“People either think they’re fine or they’re really worried,” Worster says Assets. “You want to get a cohort of people doing the same reporting And Give them a test [shows] An objective sense of whether they think their memory is poor and it doesn’t show it, or vice versa.”
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