Marijuana can increase prediabetes risk, study suggests

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A new study is linking lifelong and recent marijuana use that is over 100 times by early adulthood to poor control of blood sugar, increasing the risk of developing prediabetes.

According to Medical News Today, a study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health shares that the researchers have seen a noticeable difference in the blood sugar control of marijuana users and non-users. The researchers are still trying to find out if it will develop further to type 2 diabetes, although the result is another evidence to the many adverse effects of marijuana use.

The researchers have discovered that based on the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, marijuana is the leading illicit drug commonly used all-over the country. It has an astounding average of 19.8 million users last month. With the prevalence of marijuana use, Dr. Mike Bancks, lead study author and postdoctoral heart trainee from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, shares that there are three things they want to investigate and these are the following:

1) Can marijuana use cause prediabetes or type 2 diabetes?

2) Will obesity affect their results thus should they eliminate these participants before the research begins?

3) Will race and gender be a contributing factor to the development of poor sugar control?

MedPage Today writes that for the study to be analyzed, the researchers have examined and observed more than 3000 participants for an association between prediabetes or diabetes and marijuana use. As a result, 65 percent of current users have shown an elevated risk of developing prediabetes, while very frequent users have shown a 49 percent increase.

The results are contradicting to previous studies that suggest marijuana use has a beneficial effect on metabolism, thus lowering the risk of diabetes. Furthermore, the former analysis has shown significant reduction in diabetes risk with current pot use. Dr. Bancks emailed that although self-reporting assessment can be a limitation, this study's response from marijuana users is similar to those of the young adult population in the United States.

Dr. Bancks and his team all agree that further studies are still required to establish a strong link, including different types of people, consumption of marijuana and the total amount of consumption, Live Science adds. But, Dr. Bancks believes that medical experts should still discuss with their patients the potential risks of this substance.

Marijuana health benefits and limitations are still a subject for review and analysis, Dr. Bancks concluded. Legalization of marijuana will definitely draw attention in the medical research world, as they make a concrete conclusion on the effects of marijuana to individuals.

The study, entitled "Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults" (CARDIA), has been published in the online journal Diabetologia last Sunday, September 13th.