Study Shows Inhaling Cannabis Could Reduce Premature Heartbeats
Researchers at the University of California – San Francisco (UCSF) who were looking for links between cannabis use and heartbeat irregularity discovered that habitual users actually experienced about 9% fewer premature heartbeats on the days they inhaled (smoked or vaped) cannabis versus the days they abstained, according to a UCSF release.
Published on August 12 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the study involved 108 adult habitual cannabis consumers who performed as their own control for the experiment, as they were randomly directed each day to either use cannabis for the day (always via inhalation) or abstain. Researchers tracked the participants over 14 days using an electrocardiographic monitor, a sleep monitor, an activity tracker, and a continuous glucose monitor, and compared the days each participant consumed cannabis against the days they abstained.
“We were surprised by the results because they contradicted our original hypothesis,” said Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS, an endowed professor in atrial fibrillation research, UCSF Division of Cardiology. “That’s why randomized trials are so important. When the data challenge our expectations, our job as scientists is to understand them, not ignore them.”
Early or skipped heartbeats are known as cardiac ectopy, and they can be a predictor for heart failure.
According to Marcus, the study was designed to examine “the acute effects of cannabis in people who use it regularly,” but not “to evaluate the long-term health consequences.”
“The overall health effects of inhaled cannabis may still be net negative, but these findings suggest there may be something about cannabis that can teach us more about the biological mechanisms that produce premature atrial contractions. That knowledge could eventually lead to new approaches for preventing or treating abnormal heart rhythms.” — Marcus, in a statement
The researchers also noted there were no major differences in daily steps, sleep duration, or glucose levels between the test days and the control days.