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Marijuana Tied To Better Blood Sugar Control
Posted by CN Staff on May 24, 2013 at 07:28:57 PT
By Genevra Pittman
Source: Reuters
New York -- People who had used marijuana in the past month had smaller waists and lower levels of insulin resistance - a diabetes precursor - than those who never tried the drug, in a new study.The findings, based on surveys and blood tests of about 4,700 U.S. adults, aren't enough to prove marijuana keeps users thin or wards off disease. And among current pot smokers, higher amounts of marijuana use weren't linked to any added health benefits, researchers reported in The American Journal of Medicine.
"These are preliminary findings," said Dr. Murray Mittleman, who worked on the study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston."It looks like there may be some favorable effects on blood sugar control, however a lot more needs to be done to have definitive answers on the risks and potential benefits of marijuana usage."Although pot smoking is a well-known cause of "the munchies," some previous studies have found marijuana users tend to weigh less than other people, and one suggested they have a lower rate of diabetes. Trials in mice and rats hint that cannabis and cannabinoid receptors may influence metabolism.The new study used data from a national health survey conducted in 2005-2010. Researchers asked people about drug and alcohol use, as well as other aspects of their health and lifestyle, and measured their insulin and blood sugar levels.Just under 2,000 participants said they had used marijuana at some point, but not recently. Another 600 or so were current users - meaning they had smoked or otherwise consumed the drug in the past month.Compared to people who had never used pot, current smokers had smaller waists: 36.9 inches versus 38.3 inches, on average. Current users also had a lower body mass index - a ratio of weight to height - than never-users.When other health and lifestyle measures were taken into account, recent pot use was linked to 17 percent lower insulin resistance, indicating better blood sugar control, and slightly higher HDL ("good") cholesterol levels.However, there was no difference in blood pressure or blood fats based on marijuana use, Mittleman's team found.A Causal Link?Mittleman said that in his mind, it's still "preliminary" to say marijuana is likely to be responsible for any diabetes-related health benefits."It's possible that people who choose to smoke marijuana have other characteristics that differ (from non-marijuana smokers)," and those characteristics are what ultimately affect blood sugar and waist size, he told Reuters Health.Dr. Stephen Sidney from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California, said he wonders if cigarette smoking may partially explain the association. Marijuana users are also more likely to smoke tobacco, he told Reuters Health."People who use tobacco oftentimes tend to be thinner," said Sidney, who has studied marijuana use and weight but didn't participate in the new study. "So I really wonder about that."Another limitation with this and other studies, Sidney and Mittleman agreed, is that all of the data were collected at the same time, so it's unclear whether marijuana smoking or changes in waist size and blood sugar came first."The question is, is the marijuana leading to the lower rate (of diabetes) or do they have something in common?" said Dr. Theodore Friedman, who has studied that issue at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles.He and his colleagues think the link is probably causal. "But it's really hard to prove that," Friedman, who also wasn't involved in the new research, told Reuters Health.One possibility is that the anti-inflammatory properties of marijuana help ward off diabetes, he said. But he agreed that more research is needed to draw out that link."I want to make it clear - I'm not advocating marijuana use to prevent diabetes," Friedman said. "It's only an association."SOURCE: http://bit.ly/10Ty3La -- The American Journal of Medicine, online May 16, 2013.Source: Reuters (Wire)Author:  Genevra PittmanPublished: May 23, 2013Copyright: 2013 Thomson ReutersCannabisNews  Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #9 posted by keninsj on May 31, 2013 at 20:31:34 PT:
Storm Crow
You are correct about CBD. I had my diabetic retinoapathy screening just a month ago, and the DR was surprised to see that the spot in the back of my eye that he was concerned about a year ago is actually shrinking. He said it was probably due to my keeping my blood sugar under control. I think there is more to it than that.
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Comment #8 posted by Storm Crow on May 26, 2013 at 19:54:14 PT
CBD and diabetes! 
As you may know, is the #2 compound in CANNABl., Cannabidiol (CBD) has some amazing benefits for diabetics! Diabetic retinopathy is the #1 cause of blindness in adults. "Marijuana Compound May Help Stop Diabetic Retinopathy" (ScienceDaily) tells how CBD stops its progress! CBD also protects the hearts of diabetics! "Lab Notes: Pot Has Benefits for Diabetic Hearts" (MedPageToday). And painful diabetic neuropathy, that tingling, burning or just plain pain in your hands and feet, can be fought with CBD! See "The Endocannabinoid System and Plant-Derived Cannabinoids in Diabetes and Diabetic Complications" (PubMed). There is also evidence that CBD may prevent diabetes! "Cannabidiol reduces the development of diabetes in an animal study" (CANNABISMED) 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by Hope on May 24, 2013 at 20:57:52 PT
Stop the killing. End the "War"!
Suspect in killing of officer found dead in cellhttp://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/Man-charged-in-police-shooting-found-dead-at-jail-4546377.php
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by FoM on May 24, 2013 at 18:56:19 PT
H2: America's Book of Secrets
The Drug Wars: Friday, May 24, 10/9chttp://www.history.com/shows/americas-book-of-secrets/articles/about-americas-book-of-secrets
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by The GCW on May 24, 2013 at 13:35:45 PT
Mark702,
Thanks for the update.Those darn law enforcement agencies and their unions seem to be worried about their gravy train. Overtime gravy and they don't know how much it cost citizens. Add it up though and it has to be very expensive.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by FoM on May 24, 2013 at 10:06:24 PT
HempWorld
If you don't mind I would rather leave the article as a link. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 24, 2013 at 10:05:22 PT
Mark
I am sorry to read about the raid. I have reasons why I don't often post articles with people or organizations names in them. Our articles are archived and can be found very easily in a google search. I have had people contact me to remove articles years after they were posted. 
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Comment #2 posted by HempWorld on May 24, 2013 at 09:14:41 PT
Israel Friedman JahWeh?
"It's just an association" Yeah, mmmm...Ok, FoM can you please post this article? We need a discussion on this, if you allow us; http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n218/a01.html?1042WA STATE CONSIDERS BANNING HASH As in Rick Simpson's 'Hemp Oil'
Sorry guys, if you have cancer or another life-threatening disease, you still can't have it, there, from the man, Rocky! How inane is this?
WA STATE CONSIDERS BANNING HASH 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by Mark702 on May 24, 2013 at 09:10:57 PT
Southern Oregon MMJ Activist Raids
I'm hoping the CannabisNews admins can post this article as a news story for today. I'm the guy who runs CannabisTV.org, and I have a tv show that has aired weekly in the Southern Oregon area for 5 years now. I'm a big cannabis activist and patient advocate. Yesterday, the Southern Oregon NORML center was raided and the managers are now in jail. They claim the place is within 1000 feet of a middle school nearby, but even measuring property line to property line as the crow flies, they were only at 1060 feet, and that's assuming you count the parking lot that isn't exclusively used by them, it's communal.Anyway, this MMJ resource center is one of the primary locations where people can get copies of my CannabisTV show videos on DVD for free. I've burned over 6,000 DVDs myself in the lats 5 years to help spread the word around this area. It seems that Obama's goon squads are now targeting cannabis advocates, not just the growers.http://www.examiner.com/article/raids-on-patient-resource-centers-target-activists-for-medical-marijuana
Raids On Patient Resource Centers In Oregon
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