According to a study published in the journal Heart Rhythm, middle-aged adults who have a history of using cannabis are not at an elevated risk of experiencing atrial fibrillation (AFib), aka an irregular heartbeat, NORML reports. The relationship between cannabis and heart disease is currently under close scrutiny and attention.
This longitudinal study was conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. The team looked at the connection between cannabis use and AFib in a very large sample size, a group of over 150,000 individuals aged between 40 and 69. This group of people was made up of people who didn’t use cannabis, occasional users, and frequent cannabis users. They monitored participants over six years. The findings reveal no significant evidence suggesting that people who used cannabis had a bigger chance of developing atrial fibrillation compared to non-users.
“Among a large, prospective cohort, we were unable to find evidence that occasional cannabis use [defined as more than 100 times] was associated with a higher risk of incident AF,” the study writes. “To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal cohort study to assess such recreational use and the first to report an absence of a relationship between cannabis use and risk of AF.”
AFib is a heart rhythm disorder identifiable by a rapid and irregular beat of the heart’s upper chambers, aka the atria. This arrhythmia can cause disruptive, settling, and potential dangerous symptoms like heart palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, or chest pain. Some people may not experience any symptoms at all. AFib is dangerous because it increases the risk of blood clots forming in the heart. These can then develop into strokes. Over time, AFib may also weaken the heart, which could result in heart failure. Before you panic and have an anxiety attack that you mistake for AFib, know that it needs to be diagnosed by a doctor and is done so using electrocardiograms (ECGs). The treatment for AFib is focused on controlling the heart rate to return to a normal heart rhythm using medications or medical interventions, in addition to lifestyle changes.
As NORML reports, in October, research findings suggested that middle-aged folks who use weed don’t have a higher risk of atherosclerosis, aka which is the hardening of the arteries, compared to those who have never used cannabis. This conclusion was backed up by a meta-analysis published in May, concludeding, “Cannabis use insignificantly predicts all major cardiovascular adverse events,” referring to conditions like myocardial infarction and stroke. However, at times, the data is conflicting. A contrasting report from September of 2024 in the journal Addiction highlighted that adults involved in problematic cannabis use do have a heightened risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
As High Times reported, the research analyzed medical data from nearly 60,000 adults in Alberta, Canada. It specifically looked at diagnostic codes for “cannabis use disorder,” keep in mind, this is a publication with a focus on addiction. As High Times reported, they define cannabis use disorder as an inability to cease cannabis use despite negative consequences.
They compared these with codes for various cardiovascular issues, including heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes, occurring between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2019.
The study’s findings were a bit alarming: “Canadian adults with cannabis use disorder appear to have an approximately 60% higher risk of experiencing incident adverse cardiovascular disease events than those without cannabis use disorder,” it reported. “Importantly, this evidence suggests that cannabis use may place a healthier population at increased risk of major cardiovascular events. As a result, our study points to the importance of educating our patients about the potential risks associated with cannabis use and cannabis use disorder,” reads the study.
It additionally revealed that people diagnosed with cannabis use disorder who were otherwise deemed ‘healthy’ (having no co-occurring mental health disorders, doctor visits in the past six months, prescribed meds, or no other medical conditions) were at a greater risk for these cardiovascular events.
But, to end on a more reassuring note, know that this too has conflicting evidence. Research published in August of 2023 in the American Journal of Cardiology indicates that middle-aged adults using cannabis are not at an increased risk of heart attack. The study, which compared people who used cannabis with non-cannabis users, found that individuals who consumed it monthly over the past year did not face a heightened risk of heart attack.
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BUT new research has also shown that THC as well as cannabis smoke separately have acute toxic effects on vascular health and that THC, both via smoking or vaping, impairing Flow Mediated Dilation (FMD) in blood vessels.
Cannabinoid receptor 1 antagonist genistein attenuates marijuana-induced vascular inflammation
Cell 185, 1676–1693, May 12, 2022
(This study showed the health benefit of a dietary flavonoid (genistein) on counter acting the toxic effect of THC on vascular cells; which probably means other dietary components will have a similar effect too.)
Marijuana Smoke or Vaporizer Aerosol Impairs Endothelial Function Regardless of Drying Regimen or Cannabinoid Profile
Circulation. 2022;146:A10022
Impairment of Endothelial Function by Aerosol From Marijuana Leaf Vaporizers
Journal of the American Heart Association 2023;12:e032969
(The authors of that study sadly showed BIAS in their conclusion, stating “…Our findings indicate that use of leaf vaporizers is unlikely to reduce the vascular risk burden of smoking marijuana.” which ignors the publisahed demonstrated vascular toxicity of cannabis smoke with THC removed and the very well established acute vascular toxicity of carbon monoxide which is found in high levels in cannabis smoke).
However when properly analysed this isn’t all bad, in fact the evidence showing that Vaping is far healthier and safer than Smoking is mounting, with even tobacco research giving insights into the advantages of Vaping (both Tobacco or Cannabis) over Smoking:
From New Scientist 15 Nov. 2019
Long-term smokers who start vaping see health benefits within a month
“Long-term (tobacco) smokers who switched to vaping were halfway towards achieving the vascular health of a non-smoker within a month, a study has found. Researchers from the University of Dundee, UK, said they discovered a “clear early benefit” in switching from smoking to vaping, in the largest clinical trial to date…the groups who switched to e-cigarettes experienced a 1.49 percentage point improvement in their vascular function compared with those who continued smoking…A healthy non-smoker can expect an average FMD score of 7.7 per cent, the authors said. Chronic smokers who switched to vaping with nicotine saw their FMD increase by about a fifth from 5.5 per cent to 6.7 per cent at the end of the month. This means that, within a month, the new vapers were around halfway towards achieving the FMD of a healthy non-smoker.”
Ref: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2019
That said IMO acute impairment of FMD (one of the causes of postural hypertension while stoned) is a danger when exercising – despite research so far mostly lacking to demonstrate this; probably because most people don’t do much exercise while stoned.
A recent review sums it up in its very title:
Cannabis Smoking and Cardiovascular Health: It’s Complicated
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS April 2017
CORRECTION OF A CORRECTION
I meant to say that FMD is one of the causes of Postural Hypotension, not HYPERtension i.e. a drop in blood pressure (not an increase) when stoned people stand up or move around (making them dizzy or giving a headrush).
Oops, maybe i was a bit hypo-glycemic when i wrote it LOL.