Marijuana causes serious health problems in people, according to a recent investigation by Standford Medicine (USA). Consumption of this substance more than once a month could increase the risk of heart attack and increase the chances of developing a heart disease over time.
Although little by little the use of marijuana for recreational purposes is being regularized in some countries, especially in the United States, it should not be forgotten that this substance, like any other drug, can become dangerous, warn the researchers, who emphasize which can have cardiovascular side effects.
But not only that, but they have also discovered in the work that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component that the drug has, causes inflammation in the endothelial cells of the blood vessels, in addition to atherosclerosis – accumulation of fatty plaques in the arteries – in tests that have been done in laboratory mice and in human cells.
Increased risk of heart attack before age 50
The research, published in the journal Cell, has been carried out with the data of some 500,000 people between 40 and 69 years of age, of which 35,000 declared using cannabis, 11,000 of them more than once a month. The results showed that those 11,000 people were more likely to have a heart attack than the rest of the study participants.
They found that inflammatory molecules in the blood of participants who used marijuana increased within three hours of smoking
They also found that regular marijuana smokers had a higher risk of having a heart attack before age 50, an early health problem that increases the risk of having another heart attack later in life, as well as a higher chance of having a heart attack. heart failure and life-threatening arrhythmias that can lead to sudden death.
The study authors found that levels of inflammatory molecules in the blood of participants who used marijuana increased during the following three hours of smoking. In addition, mice in laboratory tests that were bred to have high cholesterol levels on a high-fat diet ended up developing larger atherosclerosis plaques when injected with THC at levels similar to smoking a marijuana cigarette, compared with the control group rodents.
As they explain, THC binds to a receptor called CB1 on cells in a person’s brain, heart, and vascular system. The receptor recognizes natural cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids, that regulate mood, pain perception, immune function, and metabolism. But regular cannabis use causes inappropriate activation of CB1, which could increase inflammation and lead to atherosclerosis, and is also linked to obesity, cancer and diabetes.
Genistein, a possible way to avoid these risks
However, attempts have been made to develop antagonistic molecules that block CB1 function that could block the inflammatory and atherosclerotic properties of THC without causing psychiatric side effects. That’s when they observed that genistein, a molecule found naturally in soybeans, is capable of binding to CB1 but has poor penetration into the brain.
Genistein could be used as a supplement to avoid the side effects of medical marijuana
When genistein was included in human endothelial cells that had been previously treated with THC or given to high-cholesterol THC-injected mice, they found that genistein was able to block the negative effects of the drug without blocking the psychoactive effects. of THC in the brain.
“We did not see any blocking of the normal analgesic or sedative effects of THC in the mice that contribute to the potentially useful medicinal properties of marijuana. So genistein is potentially a safer drug than previous CB1 antagonists. It’s already used as a nutritional supplement and 99% of it stays outside the brain, so it shouldn’t cause these particular adverse side effects,” said Mark Chandy, one of the authors.
Therefore, it is a first step to discover if genistein could be used by people who use marijuana for medicinal purposes to avoid cardiovascular problems associated with the drug. The researchers hope to continue conducting studies in this regard, in addition to including cannabidiol (CBD), another marijuana cannabinoid but which lacks the psychoactive effects of THC.
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