As marijuana use becomes common in many states in the US, researchers are looking into its effects on health factors such as weight and obesity.
Lose Weight
A recent study (2016–2022) looking at the impact of marijuana use on body mass index (BMI) has revealed certain unexpected trends. Between the years 2016 and 2022, the number of adults aged 18 years and above consuming marijuana increased from 7.48 % to 14.91 % (Hasin, 2015). One of the main explanations for this increase is marijuana legalization. People in states where recreational use is permitted had a prevalence of use that was 81 % higher than those in states where cannabis is still illegal. Even the legalization of medical marijuana increased the average rate of use by 9%. It is obvious that when usage is allowed, there are higher tendencies of general usage.
Marijuana Use: Is There Any Relationship to Obesity?
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This research demonstrates that those with a BMI greater or equal to 30, which classifies them as obese, tend to stay away from marijuana use much more than those with healthy or even lower BMI. These adults with obesity were on average using marijuana 35% less(Jin, 2017). This pattern applied to the majority of demographic and health groups apart from women, among whom no such differences recorded were statistically significant.
What is interesting of note is that cannabis consumers are found to have a higher caloric intake than others with a lower level of BMI. This paradox may be explained by marijuana’s benefits.
Marijuana has been shown to control an individual’s appetite, and its effect on metabolism might help balance energy intake and expenditure (Whiting, 2015). This suggests that marijuana may assist in weight loss.
Public Health Implications
Whether the legalization in America may lead to national improvement on obesity continuously raises debates. The evidence presented in the paper does suggest that there has been an increasing tendency to utilize marijuana more often which may lead to obesity rates decreasing gradually. But this is only one part of the portrayal.
Conclusion
The reduction in obesity is not solely due to marijuana use but may be partly because of the reduced energy surplus that may be brought about by legalized marijuana use. It is evident that this issue has so much going for it and it is impossible for the potential benefits and drawbacks of the indiscriminate use of marijuana not to stimulate further investigation.
FAQs
1. Does marijuana impact body weight?
It does, since marijuana users have a lower BMI and lower prevalence of obesity compared to non-users, likely due to some metabolic effects of cannabis.
2. Do obese people frequently consume marijuana?
Obese people are indeed 35 percent less likely to be consuming marijuana when compared to their non-obese counterparts.
3. Does it make sense to resort to marijuana for weight loss?
Not exactly. Marijuana use is associated with a lower BMI, but marijuana is not a safe or effective method for weight loss.
References
Merrill, R. M. (2024). A national survey of marijuana use among U.S. adults according to obesity status, 2016–2022. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2024.0069
Hasin, D. S., Saha, T. D., Kerridge, B. T., Goldstein, R. B., Chou, S. P., Zhang, H., Jung, J., Pickering, R. P., Ruan, W. J., Smith, S. M., Huang, B., & Grant, B. F. (2015). Prevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States Between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013. JAMA psychiatry, 72(12), 1235–1242. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1858
Jin, L. Z., Rangan, A., Mehlsen, J., Andersen, L. B., Larsen, S. C., & Heitmann, B. L. (2017). Association Between Use of Cannabis in Adolescence and Weight Change into Midlife. PloS one, 12(1), e0168897. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168897
Whiting, P. F., Wolff, R. F., Deshpande, S., Di Nisio, M., Duffy, S., Hernandez, A. V., Keurentjes, J. C., Lang, S., Misso, K., Ryder, S., Schmidlkofer, S., Westwood, M., & Kleijnen, J. (2015). Cannabinoids for Medical Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA, 313(24), 2456–2473. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.6358
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