Marseille, France: Cannabis consumption is associated with lower rates of obesity among patients with hepatitis B, according to data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
A team of investigators affiliated with France’s National Institute of Health assessed the relationship between cannabis use and body weight in a cohort of 3,700 patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
After researchers adjusted for confounders, they reported that subjects who consumed cannabis possessed a 59 percent lower risk of central obesity (based on waist circumference) than did those with no history of use. The use of cannabis was also significantly associated with a lower risk of being overweight.
Authors concluded: “Cannabis use was associated with lower risks of overweight and obesity in patients with HBV chronic infection. Future studies should test whether these potential benefits of cannabis and cannabinoid use translate in to reduced liver disease progression in this high-risk population.”
Previous studies involving nationally representative cohorts have similarly reported that cannabis use is linked with lower rates of obesity and with lower body mass index. Several other studies have also reported that marijuana is associated with the reduced prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Full text of the study, “Cannabis use is inversely associated with overweight and obesity in Hepatitis B virus-infected patients,” appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
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