Historically, cannabis consumers have been portrayed in movies and by mainstream media as being lazy, out of shape, and often suffering from poor health. However, that could not be farther from the truth for many cannabis consumers. One thing that I often point to is how many elite athletes, including Olympic athletes, consume cannabis and are clearly not lazy or out of shape.

A growing body of research is finding that cannabis may be associated with improved wellness outcomes, including when it comes to metabolic disorders. Metabolic disorders involve abnormal chemical reactions in a person’s body that disrupt their metabolism, leaving their body with an excess or a shortage of essential substances required to stay healthy. Examples include:

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
• Gaucher Disease
• Galactosemia

A team of researchers affiliated with the Women’s Hospital School of Medicine at Zhejiang University, and Taizhou First People’s Hospital, both in China, recently conducted an assessment of the relationship between cannabis use and metabolic syndromes. The analysis involved a sample of 91,000 adults, and findings were published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases.

“We analyzed 91,002 UK Biobank participants without prevalent metabolic diseases at baseline. Multivariable Cox models evaluated associations between cannabis use and incident metabolic diseases.” the researchers wrote about their methodology.

“After adjustment, cannabis use was associated with modestly lower observed risks of overall metabolic disease (aHR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.89–0.99), hypertension (aHR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.87–1.00), type 2 diabetes (aHR = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.69–0.99), and obesity (heavy users: aHR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.41–0.78). Significant BMI interactions were observed (P < 0.01), with inverse associations more evident among individuals with BMI<25. In participants with BMI>30, moderate use was associated with increased risk of metabolic disease (aHR = 1.26) and hypertension (aHR = 1.40).” the researchers found.

“Cannabis use was associated with modestly lower observed risks of several metabolic outcomes, particularly among individuals with BMI<25.” the researchers concluded.