New Study Reveals Cannabis Use May Lower Risk of Cardiac Arrhythmia
A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that habitual cannabis users experience a reduction in daily cardiac ectopy when they use the drug compared to non-use days. Cardiac ectopy refers to abnormal heart rhythms, including premature atrial contractions (PACs) and premature ventricular contractions (PVCs).
Researchers conducted a prospective, randomized, crossover trial involving 108 adults who regularly used inhaled cannabis. Participants were randomly assigned to use or abstain from cannabis for two weeks, and their heart rhythms, physical activity, sleep patterns, and glucose levels were monitored using wearable devices.
The study found that participants experienced a significant reduction in daily ectopy, driven primarily by a decrease in PACs, with no increase in PVCs, physical activity, sleep duration, or glucose levels. The reduction in ectopy was observed even with a single use of cannabis.
The study’s findings suggest that cannabis use may have a dose-response relationship with ectopy and PACs, with each reported inhalation event resulting in a decrease in these abnormal heart rhythms.
While the study did not find an increase in PVCs, which are associated with heart failure risk, it did not rule out the possibility that habitual cannabis use may affect PVCs in the long term.
The study’s limitations include not assigning a specific number of cannabis inhalations and not collecting data on alcohol use. However, the researchers concluded that acute inhaled cannabis use is associated with a small reduction in daily ectopy, driven primarily by PACs, with no observed increase in PVCs, physical activity, sleep duration, or mean glucose.
