{"id":10478,"date":"2024-08-21T23:53:22","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T16:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=10478"},"modified":"2024-08-21T23:53:22","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T16:53:22","slug":"does-marijuana-affect-weight-gain-or-bone-density","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=10478","title":{"rendered":"Does Marijuana Affect Weight Gain or Bone Density?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Are the apparent adverse effects of heavy cannabis use on the bone just due to users being thinner?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s been <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/9353503\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recognized<\/a> for decades that cigarette smoking can have \u201ca major effect\u201d on bone health, \u201cincreasing the lifetime risk of hip fracture by about half.\u201d It also appears to <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/23836474\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">impair<\/a> bone healing, so much so that surgeons ask if they should <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28476393\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">discriminate<\/a> against smokers because their bone and wound-healing complication rates are so high. What about <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28286929\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">smoking<\/a> marijuana?<\/p>\n<p>As I discuss in my video <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/effects-of-marijuana-on-weight-gain-and-bone-density\/\"><strong>Effects of Marijuana on Weight Gain and Bone Density<\/strong><\/a>, \u201cThere is accumulating evidence to <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/20532878\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suggest<\/a> that cannabinoids [cannabis compounds] and their receptors play important roles in bone metabolism by regulating bone mass, bone loss, and bone cell function.\u201d Okay, but are they \u201cfriend or foe?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cResults from research on cannabinoids and bone mineral density in rodent models <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28286929\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">have<\/a> been inconsistent. Some studies show increased bone formation, others have demonstrated accelerated bone loss, and yet others have shown no association. This variation in results may be due [in part] to differences in the mouse strain, sex, age\u2026\u201d If you can\u2019t even extrapolate from one mouse to another, how can you extrapolate from mice to human beings?<\/p>\n<p>What if you just measure cannabis use and bone mineral density in people? Researchers tested thousands of adults and asked them about their cannabis use. There did not appear to be any link between the two, which is a relief. However, in this study, \u201cheavy\u201d cannabis use was defined as just five or more days of use in the previous 30 days. The researchers didn\u2019t ask beyond that, so, theoretically, someone who smoked just five joints in their entire life could be categorized as a \u201cheavy user\u201d if they happened to use it five times in the last four weeks.<\/p>\n<p>How about cannabis use on 5,000 separate occasions over a lifetime? Now that\u2019s a heavy user\u2014decades of regular use. In that case, heavy use was \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27593602\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">associated<\/a> with low bone mineral density and an increased risk of fractures\u201d\u2014about double the fracture rate presumably due to lower bone density in the hip and spine, although heavy cannabis users were also thinner on average, and thinner people have lighter bones.<\/p>\n<p>Hip fracture risk goes down as our weight goes up. Nearly half of underweight women have osteoporosis, but less than 1 percent of obese women do, which makes total sense. Being obese forces our body to make our bones stronger to carry around all of that extra weight. That\u2019s why weight-bearing exercise is so important to constantly put stress on our skeleton. When it comes to our bones, it\u2019s <em>use it or lose it<\/em>. That\u2019s why astronauts can <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/15125798\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lose<\/a> a percent of their bone mass every month in \u201clong-duration spaceflight.\u201d Their bodies aren\u2019t stupid. Why waste all that energy making a strong skeleton if you aren\u2019t going to put any weight on it?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So, maybe the reason heavy cannabis users <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27593602\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">have<\/a> frailer bones is because they tend to be about 15 pounds lighter. Wait a second. Marijuana users are slimmer? What about the munchies? \u201cThe lower BMI that was observed in heavy cannabis users at first sight seems counterintuitive,\u201d given marijuana\u2019s appetite stimulation, but this isn\u2019t the first time this has been noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPopular culture commonly <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27572145\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">depicts<\/a> marijuana users as a sluggish, lethargic, and unproductive subculture of compulsive snackers,\u201d and marijuana has indeed been <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/2204648\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">found<\/a> to increase food intake. A single hit can increase appetite, so you\u2019d expect obesity rates to <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/26602324\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rise<\/a> in states that legalized it. But, if anything, the rise in obesity appeared to slow after medical marijuana laws were passed, whereas it appeared to just keep rising in other states, as you can see in the graph below and at 3:45 in my <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/effects-of-marijuana-on-weight-gain-and-bone-density\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>video<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-105260\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-45.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-45.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-45-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-45-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-45-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-45-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-45-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-45-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-45-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/3-45-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The reason pot smokers may <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/367234\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">be<\/a> slimmer is because of the effect of smoked marijuana on metabolism. We\u2019ve known for more than nearly 40 years that within 15 minutes of lighting up, our metabolic rate goes up by about 25 percent and stays there for at least an hour, as you can see below and at 4:04 in my <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/effects-of-marijuana-on-weight-gain-and-bone-density\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>video<\/strong><\/a>. So, that may be playing a role.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-105262\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-04.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-04.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-04-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-04-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-04-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-04-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-04-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-04-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-04-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-04-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Is that why heavy cannabis use is <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27593602\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">associated<\/a> with lower bone mineral density and increased risk of fractures? Because users just aren\u2019t as overweight? No. Even when taking BMI into account, heavy cannabis use appears to be \u201can independent predictor\u201d of weaker bones.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">I originally released a series of marijuana videos in a webinar and <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 1rem;\" href=\"https:\/\/drgreger.org\/collections\/downloads\/products\/cannabis-what-does-the-science-say-digital?utm_source=docnote&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=digital_dl_mj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">downloadable digital DVD<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">. There are still a few videos coming out over the next year, but if you missed any of the already published ones, see the related posts below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>For more on bone health, check out the related posts below.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are the apparent adverse effects of heavy cannabis use on the bone just due to users being thinner?\u00a0 It\u2019s been recognized for decades that cigarette smoking can have \u201ca major effect\u201d on bone health, \u201cincreasing the lifetime risk of hip fracture by about half.\u201d It also appears to impair bone healing, so much so that &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10478\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}