NEW DELHI– People who use cannabis may face nearly four times the risk of developing diabetes compared to non-users, according to a major study involving more than four million adults.
The research comes as cannabis use continues to grow worldwide. In 2021, an estimated 219 million people — about 4.3 percent of the global adult population — reported using cannabis. While previous studies have pointed to possible anti-inflammatory or weight-related benefits, others have raised alarms about its impact on glucose metabolism and insulin resistance.
The new analysis found diabetes incidence was significantly higher among cannabis users, with 2.2 percent developing the condition compared to just 0.6 percent in the non-user group. “As cannabis becomes more widely available and socially accepted and legalized in various jurisdictions, it is essential to understand its potential health risks,” said lead author Dr. Ibrahim Kamel of Boston Medical Center.
For the study, researchers examined electronic health records from 54 health care organizations across the U.S. and Europe. They tracked 96,795 patients aged 18 to 50 with cannabis-related diagnoses — ranging from occasional use to dependence — between 2010 and 2018. These patients were matched with more than 4.1 million healthy controls of similar age, sex, and medical background, then followed for five years.
“The new insights from reliable real-world evidence highlight the importance of integrating diabetes risk awareness into substance use disorder treatment and counseling,” Kamel said. He added that health care providers should regularly discuss cannabis use with patients to help them understand possible metabolic risks.
The researchers stressed that more work is needed to examine the long-term endocrine effects of cannabis use and to determine whether risks differ between smoked cannabis and other forms such as edibles.
Findings from the study are being presented this week at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria. (Source: IANS)
