Health
Marijuana use linked to increased asthma risk in youth, says study: ‘Worrisome' health implications
Where there’s smoke, there’s … asthma?
That’s the concern among some experts, as a recent study from the City University of New York (CUNY) identified a link between cannabis legalization and asthma among kids and teens.
The research, published in the journal Preventive Medicine in its Feb. 2024 issue, found that in states where marijuana is legal, the share of teens with asthma is slightly higher than in states where it remains illegal.
The recreational use of cannabis is now legalized in 24 states.
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In the study, a research team at the CUNY School of Public Health (SPH) analyzed data pulled from the 2011-2019 National Survey on Children’s Health, which comprises a “representative sample of the population of minor children in the U.S.,” according to a press release from the university.
The sample consisted of 227,451 U.S. children 17 years old and younger, with an average age of 8.56.
In states where marijuana is legal, the share of teens with asthma is slightly higher than in states where it remains illegal. (iStock)
“In the first nationally representative study of cannabis use and asthma in the U.S., a consistent positive linear relationship (dose-response) was observed between frequency of cannabis use and asthma prevalence among both youth and adults,” Renee Goodwin, CUNY SPH professor and lead author of the study, told Fox News Digital.
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“The relationship was not explained by confounding cigarette smoking, and an even stronger relationship between the frequency of blunt smoking and asthma was found,” he added. (Blunts are hollowed-out cigars filled with cannabis.)
Exposure to secondhand smoke has historically been a key factor in childhood asthma, the researchers noted.
There are currently some 4.5 million children under age 18 living with asthma in the U.S., according to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America.
Exposure to secondhand smoke has historically been a key factor in childhood asthma, the researchers noted. (iStock)
As Goodwin pointed out, there is “very little information available” on the potential respiratory health risks associated with cannabis use.
“It took decades for the public to receive information on the impact of cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke on respiratory and lung health,” he pointed out.
Goodwin recommends people consider that smoking cannabis may have health risks similar to those posed by cigarettes, especially for people with asthma.
“The accessibility of marijuana and other cannabis products has increased exponentially in the last three years.”
Just because there is “no public health education” on the potential health risks of cannabis use doesn’t mean they don’t exist, Goodwin warned.
“The commercialization and advertising of cannabis use by cannabis companies and state and local governments’ promotion of cannabis use for all adults is the only information the public is receiving, which may lead people to believe it is risk-free,” he said.
“That is not based on science or any data on long-term outcomes.”
“Because these products are so easily accessible, the long-term health implications are worrisome and likely to increase in frequency and severity across the spectrum of occurrences,” an addiction doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
The researcher also indicated that today’s cannabis may pose a greater risk than that of decades past.
“Products commonly sold in vapes and other forms of cannabis administration have THC concentrations upwards of 90% versus the ‘joints’ of decades ago, which were approximately 2.5% THC,” Goodwin said.
Cannabis oils and waxes are also chemically manufactured substances, which pose their own risks, the expert warned.
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“The potential short- and long-term effects of exposure to this level of THC on the human brain, respiratory or other aspects of physical health have never been studied,” he said.
“Consumers should demand that information on safety and purity — as well as dose, potency, and health and safety risks — be available in any commercial cannabis retail outlet, and that the state governments enforce the laws their states have passed,” Goodwin went on.
“Products commonly sold in vapes and other forms of cannabis administration have THC concentrations upwards of 90% versus the ‘joints’ of decades ago, which were approximately 2.5% THC,” the author of a new study said. (iStock)
Dr. Eric Heffelfinger, staff physician at Caron Treatment Centers, an addiction center in Pennsylvania, was not involved in the research but commented on the findings.
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“This study is significant not just in its size, but in its findings that asthma risks increase significantly for those who smoke marijuana, especially those who smoke blunts for more than 20 days per month,” he told Fox News Digital.
This was not surprising, the doctor noted, as previous studies have shown that nicotine is linked to asthma risk.
“We expected this to be the case for marijuana, but now we have the data to prove it,” said Heffelfinger, who spent more than 25 years specializing in pulmonology and critical care before transitioning to addiction medicine.
There is “very little information available” on the potential respiratory health risks associated with cannabis use, the study author said. (iStock)
The actual increase in asthma risk could be even higher than the study implies, he noted, as the data was collected in 2020 and likely underestimates current exposure.
“The accessibility of marijuana and other cannabis products has increased exponentially in the last three years,” he said. “We anticipate that the number of people impacted with asthma because of marijuana use will also have increased significantly.”
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This applies not only to those who use marijuana directly, but also to people who have increased secondhand exposure, Heffelfinger added.
“The known health impacts from marijuana and cannabis products – increased asthma, psychiatric symptoms, psychosis and cannabis use disorder — are just the tip of the iceberg,” he warned.
The recreational use of cannabis is now legalized in 24 states. (© DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK)
“There is so much we don’t know because these are genetically and chemically enhanced products with delivery methods such as smoking or vaping that cause lung damage,” he went on.
“Because these products are so easily accessible, the long-term health implications are worrisome and likely to increase in frequency and severity across the spectrum of occurrences.”
When contacted by Fox News Digital for comment, the National Cannabis Industry Association responded by stating that it is a business trade association and does not have a medical expert immediately on hand to discuss the new report.
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The key to feeling better in a fast, overstimulated world might be surprisingly simple: Live a little more like your grandparents.
A growing social media trend, dubbed “nonnamaxxing,” draws inspiration from the slower, more intentional rhythms associated with an Italian grandmother.
The lifestyle is often linked to activities like preparing home-cooked meals, spending time outdoors and making meaningful connections.
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“Nonnamaxxing is a 2026 trend that embraces the slower, more intentional lifestyle of an Italian grandmother (a Nonna). Think cooking from scratch, long family meals, daily walks, gardening and less screen time,” Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
Stepping away from screens and toward real-world interaction can have measurable benefits, according to California-based psychotherapist Laurie Singer.
“We know that interacting with others in person, rather than spending time on screens, significantly improves mental health,” she told Fox News Digital, adding that social media often fuels comparison and lowers self-esteem.
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Living more like previous generations isn’t purely driven by nostalgia. Cooking meals from scratch, for example, has been linked to better nutrition and more mindful eating patterns.
Adopting traditional mealtime habits can improve diet quality and support both physical and mental health, especially when meals are shared regularly with others, Palinski-Wade noted.
One longevity expert stresses that staying healthy isn’t just about food — it’s also about joy and community. (iStock)
There’s also a psychological benefit to slowing down and focusing on one task at a time. Anxiety often stems from unfinished or avoided tasks, Singer noted, and engaging in hands-on activities can counteract that.
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“Nonnamaxxing encourages us to be present around a task, like gardening, baking or knitting, or just taking a mindful walk, that delivers something ‘real,’” she said.
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Palinski-Wade cautions against turning the trend into another source of pressure, noting that a traditional “nonna” lifestyle often assumes a different pace of life.
The key, she said, is adapting the mindset, not replicating it perfectly.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
The goal is to reintroduce small, intentional moments that make you feel better.
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That might mean prioritizing a few shared meals each week, taking a walk without your phone or setting aside time for a simple hobby, the expert recommended.
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Singer added, “Having a positive place to escape to, through whatever activities speak to us and make us happy, isn’t generational – it’s human.”
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Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
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“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
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The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
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Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
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“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
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“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
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“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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