Research on marijuana and its possible contribution to people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes has been contradictory and difficult to interpret. Researchers at Michigan State University in Lansing, United States, put together eight studies and analyzed them as one large study to learn the overall result.
Their analysis, reported on in the medical journal Epidemiology in May 2015, used information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys and the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. It was found marijuana smokers had a 30 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than did non-smokers.
From the above analysis, it was concluded marijuana smoking could possibly protect against Type 2 diabetes, but more research is most definitely needed to confirm their results.
Smoking marijuana has its own dangers. The American Lung Association recommends against it because it can lead to lung disease. Marijuana smoke has many of the same toxins found in tobacco smoke, and inhaling any kind of smoke is harmful to your lungs. Smokers of marijuana get more tar than tobacco smokers because the former holds it in the lungs longer.
Marijuana smoke damages the cells lining the large airways leading into the lungs, causing increased…
- phlegm,
- cough,
- wheezing, and
- acute bronchitis.
Habitual smokers can develop chronic bronchitis or pneumonia. Marijuana can…
- harm your immune system, making it difficult to fight off infection generally. The smoke can paralyze the little hairs that brush bacteria out of the lungs, making them vulnerable to pneumonia.
- aspergillus, a mold that sometimes grows on marijuana, can infect the lungs.
- adults who smoke marijuana can develop air pockets in their chest outside of the lungs, although there is not a clear link at this time.
Marijuana smokers have more medical treatment for respiratory conditions than non-smokers. It’s best if non-marijuana smokers not be exposed to secondhand marijuana smoke… if children are exposed to marijuana a pediatric emergency can develop.
If marijuana does prove to be protective against Type 2 diabetes, then the next step in research would be to isolate the molecule that confers the protection. This would mean a medication to prevent Type 2 diabetes could likely be manufactured from marijuana without marijuana’s harmful effects.
In the mean time…
- maintaining normal weight,
- eating a wholesome diet, and
- exercising on a regular basis, eg. 20 minutes a day five days a week
go a long way toward prevention.
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and a minimum of processed foods helps to keep Type 2 diabetes away. Regular aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming, or bicycle riding, is good for preventing diabetes, heart disease, and a variety of many other ills.
Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with – mail Order 420. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.