Marseille, France: People co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C who consume cannabis are at a lower risk of being overweight, according to data published in the journal AIDS Education and Prevention.
French investigators assessed the relationship between cannabis use and body mass index (BMI) in a cohort of 992 HIV/HCV patients. Consistent with prior research, they reported that a history of marijuana use was “inversely associated with BMI.”
Prior studies involving HIV/HCV subjects have also identified a link between cannabis use and a lower risk of diabetes, fatty liver disease, and early mortality.
Other case control studies have consistently reported that those with a history of marijuana use are less likely than abstainers to be obese or to suffer from type 2 diabetes.
Full text of the study, “Cannabis use as a protective factor against overweight in HIV-hepatitis C virus co-infected people,” appears in AIDS Education and Prevention. Additional information on cannabis and HIV/AIDS is available from NORML.
Source: NORML – make a donation