(AURN News) — A recent study from the University of California, San Francisco is raising red flags about marijuana’s impact on cardiovascular health — and it could be bad news for millions of Americans who’ve turned to cannabis in recent years for recreation, pain relief or stress management.
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the CANDIDE study — short for Cannabis: Does It Damage Endothelium — found that marijuana use is associated with early signs of vascular disease, even among otherwise healthy users.
Researchers examined 55 participants and found that both chronic marijuana smokers and edible users showed impaired vascular endothelial function — the mechanism that helps blood vessels dilate properly.
Such dysfunction is an early warning sign for future heart disease.
In marijuana smokers, the study went a step further: Their blood serum actually blunted nitric oxide production in lab-grown cells, a critical marker for vascular health. Edible users did not show that specific serum change but still experienced weakened vessel function.
“Endothelial dysfunction was observed in otherwise healthy cannabis users, suggesting an increased risk of early development of vascular disease,” the report said.
Researchers say the findings are especially urgent as legalization continues to drive up marijuana use across the country. What many Americans see as a natural, therapeutic option may carry risks that haven’t been fully understood.
Unlike cigarettes, which have long been linked to heart damage, marijuana’s cardiovascular effects have largely flown under the radar. But this new data suggest it’s time to rethink assumptions about how safe weed really is — even in edible form.
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