New Study Reveals Women Frequently Using Cannabis Are Less At-Risk Of Developing Diabetes

Cannabis-loving ladies, keep doing your thing; it seems to be working. A new study recently discovered that women who frequently use cannabis are less at risk of developing diabetes.

The study was led by graduates at Texas A&M University School of Public Health, headed by authors Yobami Ogunsola, Samuel Smith, Udeh Mercy, Olatunji Eniola, and a colleague from Hofstra University. It found that women who “heavily” use cannabis could be keeping themselves away from the chronic condition that prevents the body from using insulin how it should. 

Published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, the team examined 2013-2018 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. According to Neuroscience News, the majority of the 15,000 participants were women, white (non-Hispanic), over 40, and had at least a college-level education. 

The study based how frequently someone used cannabis as “light use,” meaning less than four times a month, and “heavy use” as more than four times a month. They also had a physician help determine how at-risk a participant was of developing diabetes based on plasma glucose, fasting blood glucose, or hemoglobin A1C levels.

The study found that females with light use did not have any association with diabetes, nor did males under both light and heavy use categories. The main area of interest pointed to heavy use females, who were the least likely to develop the condition overall. Furthermore, this group was less at risk of developing diabetes than women who didn’t use cannabis altogether.

According to Neuroscience News, the effects produced by our endocannabinoid system (ECS) can depend on an individual’s gender. Because CBD and THC activate the endocannabinoid receptors, this makes for more efficient glucose disposal, which might play a more prominent role in females.

The researchers concluded that because of prior analysis on the ECS and its improved effects on females, this could explain why their study found women who use cannabis frequently are the least likely to develop diabetes. 

The team explained that further research must be done in order to solidify the above statements, but still, the findings are pretty promising.