Health
Cannabis use endangers heart health for certain group
While marijuana has been legalized in many states, research has shown that it could have detrimental health impacts for some — including a higher risk of heart attacks.
Two recent studies have linked cannabis use to cardiac events, particularly among young, healthier people, according to a release from the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
One study included more than 4.6 million people. The other was a large review that looked at 12 previous studies including more than 75 million people, which is said to be the largest combined study examining the relationship between cannabis and heart attacks.
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The findings will be presented at the ACC’s Annual Scientific Session March 29-31 in Chicago and will also be published in the journal JACC Advances.
Two recent studies have linked cannabis use to cardiac events, particularly among young, healthier people. (iStock)
Healthy cannabis users who were younger than age 50 were more than six times as likely to experience a heart attack compared to those who did not use the substance, the researchers found.
They were also four times as likely to have a stroke, twice as likely to experience heart failure and three times as likely to die from a cardiac event.
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This risk was shown to peak as soon as one hour after cannabis use in one of the studies.
All participants had no previous heart conditions, were not tobacco users, had healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and had no history of diabetes.
“We do know that smoking cigarettes increases the risk of a cardiac event, and it’s reasonable to assume that smoking marijuana presents a similar risk.”
The study did not identify exactly how marijuana compromises heart health, but the researchers presented some possibilities.
Those included that it could “affect heart rhythm regulation, heighten oxygen demand in the heart muscle, and contribute to endothelial dysfunction, which makes it harder for the blood vessels to relax and expand, and can interrupt blood flow,” the release stated.
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“Asking about cannabis use should be part of clinicians’ workup to understand patients’ overall cardiovascular risk, similar to asking about smoking cigarettes,” said lead author Ibrahim Kamel, MD, clinical instructor at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and internal medicine resident at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston, in the release.
“At a policy level, a fair warning should be made so that the people who are consuming cannabis know that there are risks.”
There were some inconsistencies in the data regarding the duration and amount of cannabis use or the use of tobacco or other drugs, the researchers noted. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations, the researchers noted.
There were some inconsistencies in the data regarding the duration and amount of cannabis use or the use of tobacco or other drugs, the release stated.
“We should have some caution in interpreting the findings in that cannabis consumption is usually associated with other substances, such as cocaine or other illicit drugs, that are not accounted for,” Kamel said.
Healthy cannabis users who were younger than age 50 were more than six times as likely to experience a heart attack compared to those who did not use the substance. (iStock)
“Patients should be forthcoming with their doctors and remember that we are their No. 1 advocate and having the full story matters.”
The researchers called for additional studies to confirm the findings and identify the highest-risk groups.
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Dr. Jasdeep Dalawari, an Illinois-based interventional cardiologist and regional chief medical officer at VitalSolution, an Ingenovis Health company, was not involved in the study but reiterated its limitations as a retrospective study.
“A randomized control trial is ideal, but difficult with this topic,” he told Fox News Digital. “It raises questions as to the safety of marijuana as it becomes more ubiquitous.”
“At a policy level, a fair warning should be made so that the people who are consuming cannabis know that there are risks.”
While Dalawari said this study is “interesting and concerning,” he also called for more data on the topic.
“I advise all my patients to quit smoking all substances, because we do know that smoking cigarettes increases the risk of a cardiac event, and it’s reasonable to assume that smoking marijuana presents a similar risk,” he said.
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“It would be interesting to know if this study addresses the risks of ingesting versus smoking. Nevertheless, I would advise patients to limit cannabis use until definitive studies are published.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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