Like most medicinal substances, cannabinoids in cannabis can lead to negative health consequences if abused or used in a way that is not appropriate for one's condition. New data suggests that in some situations, marijuana use may increase the risk of heart attack and heart failure in some people. In contrast, previous studies have shown benefits of CBD use in certain cardiovascular diseases. We look at this information below.
New research: daily cannabis smoking may contribute to heart failure?
Results of 2 studies conducted independently in 2023 in the United States suggestthat daily smoking of medical or recreational marijuana may increase the risk of heart attack and heart failure. It was also observed that daily marijuana smoking may increase the risk of heart and/or brain damage compared to a non-smoking control group.
"All of Us" research program - marijuana smoking and heart attack
The researchers observed 156,999 people who were not suffering from heart failure when they joined the study program. The study participants completed a questionnaire on the frequency of marijuana use and were followed for nearly four years (45 months).
The analysis of the results took into account individual demographic and economic factors, alcohol consumption, smoking and other cardiovascular risk factors (including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity).
During the study period, 2958 people (nearly 2%) developed heart failure.
Those who claimed to use marijuana daily had a 34% higher risk of heart failure compared to those who never used marijuana. This risk was the same regardless of age and gender.
In a secondary analysis, when coronary artery disease was added to the study, the risk of heart failure dropped from 34% to 27%, suggesting that coronary artery disease is a pathway through which daily marijuana use can lead to heart failure.
The average age of those participating in the study was 54 (in the age group 50-59, the risk of heart attack or heart failure in the general population is ca. 5% and significantly increasing with each decade). More than 60% of the study subjects were women, and the study included people from various ethnic groups, the most common being white.
Importantly, the subjects used cannabis outside of medical purposes, even if the dried product itself was medical. Therefore, it can be assumed that these individuals did not follow any pattern of use hemp cannabinoids, smoked unspecified amounts of dried food on a daily basis.
Another limitation of the study is that it relied on data that did not specify whether marijuana was inhaled or ingested. According to the researchers, the way marijuana is consumed can significantly affect differences in cardiovascular effects.
Effects of marijuana smoking on the heart in people 65+
Since 2015, cannabis use in the U.S. has nearly doubled and is increasing among the elderly, so it is important to understand the potential increased cardiovascular risks that result, according to the researchers.
In the second research researchers evaluated data from the National Hospital Sample 2019, the nation's largest hospitalization database.
Their goal was to see if 65+ marijuana smokers who were hospitalized for diabetes 2, high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol experienced heart attacks, cardiac arrests, arrhythmias or strokes during hospitalization more often than those in the same age and "health" group, but non-smokers.
The researchers extracted data on adults over the age of 65 with risk factors for cardiovascular disease who declared that they did not smoke. This group of patients was then divided into two groups: cannabis users and non-users.
The study found that among 28,535 cannabis users, there were risk factors for cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol).
20% individuals had an increased risk of a serious cardiac or cerebral event during hospitalization compared to the group that did not use cannabis. In addition, cannabis users (compared to cannabis abusers) were more likely to have heart attacks - 7.6% versus 6%, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, respectively.
In the case of this study, most of the participant(s) were taking hemp cannabinoids by smoking the dried product and in a non-medical way: without agreeing on doses and types of dried product with a doctor. A large proportion of those in the study showed symptoms of marijuana addiction.
"Recent studies on cannabis use indicate that smoking and inhaling the smoke increases the concentration of carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas) in the blood to a degree similar to tobacco smoke. This factor has been linked to heart muscle disease, chest pain, cardiac arrhythmias, heart attacks and other serious conditions." - wrote the researchers.
CBD in cardiovascular disease
Due to its complex mechanism of action, CBD can affect the cardiovascular system in a variety of ways. The researchers reviewed impact of CBD on this system in health and disease to determine the potential risk of cardiovascular side effects when using CBD for both medical and wellness purposes.
Although found, that CBD has shown vasodilator and antioxidant properties to treat hypertension, animal studies have shown that it does not affect blood pressure levels in hypertension.
Effect of CBD involving lowering blood pressure was mainly observed under stressful conditions. In addition, many positive effects of CBD have been observed in experimental models:
- Heart diseases (myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis),
- stroke,
- Hypoxic-ischemic cerebral ischemic encephalopathy,
- sepsis-related encephalitis,
- cardiovascular complications of diabetes
- Ischemic damage to the liver and kidneys.
In these CBD pathological conditions reduces organ damage and dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammatory processes and tissue damage, among other things. Nevertheless, CBD is not yet an approved drug for the treatment of diseases cardiovascular.
Other research have focused on the role of the endocannabinoid system in cardiovascular disease. Results of previous studies have shown that one of the numerous functions of the endocannabinoid system (whose primary role is to restore balance in the body) is to regulate heart rate, blood pressure or the proliferation of certain blood cells.
Disorders of the endocannabinoid system can fuel further abnormalities in bodily functions. Thus, targeting treatment to the endocannabinoid system may have potential benefits in improving current and future treatment strategies aimed at cardioprotection, according to the researchers.
Summary
A general conclusion from this brief review of information may be that marijuana abusers (especially in the smoked form), who have the additional risk of heart attack or heart failure due to comorbidities, have a higher risk of such events than those who do not smoke marijuana.
On the other hand, when it comes to taking hemp cannabinoids as prescribed by a doctor or using CBD on its own, but in a balanced way, the situation can be quite different - with beneficial effects on our body, including the cardiovascular system.
