New Study Suggests Cannabis May Reduce Risk of Atrial Fibrillation
A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that using cannabis may have a positive impact on reducing the risk of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder. The study, which involved 108 adults who regularly used cannabis, found that those who used the drug experienced fewer premature heartbeats on days they used it compared to days they didn’t.
The study, which was conducted over 14 days, used a combination of wearable devices and random assignment to either inhale cannabis or abstain from it. The results showed that regular cannabis users experienced a 9% reduction in premature heartbeats on days they used it compared to days they didn’t.
Senior author Gregory Marcus, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said that healthy people who regularly used cannabis experienced “significantly less abnormal, early heart beats” when they used it compared to days they didn’t.
The study also found that the reduction in premature heartbeats was driven by a decrease in heartbeats beginning in the heart’s upper chambers, known as premature atrial contractions (PACs). PACs are a common predictor of atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder that can lead to serious issues such as blood clots or stroke.
While the study’s findings may suggest that cannabis has a positive impact on heart health, researchers caution that the overall health effects of inhaled cannabis may still be net negative. A previous study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that frequent cannabis use may increase the risk of heart attack and strokes.
The study’s authors hope that their research will “motivate future randomized trials” to better understand the effects of cannabis on the cardiovascular system. They acknowledge that their study alone is not sufficient to change current recommendations or clinical practice, but it may open up new areas of investigation into ways to suppress premature heartbeats and potentially identify novel therapies that could be developed from cannabis.
