Cannabis Lowers Blood Pressure in Older Adults
Small Research Size but Investigators Believe Proof that Cannabis Lowers Blood Pressure – LPC
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel found that cannabis lowers blood pressure in adults over 60. Although the study sample of 26 participants is small, researchers believe their results are significant.
“Older adults are the fastest growing group of medical cannabis users,” wrote Dr. Ran Abuhasira of the BGU Faculty of Health Sciences and BGU-Soroka Cannabis Clinical Research Institute in Israel. “Yet evidence on cardiovascular safety for this population is scarce.”
BGU Faculty of Health Sciences is one of the top medical faculties in Isreal.
“This study is part of our ongoing effort to provide clinical research on the actual physiological effects of cannabis over time,” Dr. Abuhasira said.
Testing How Cannabis Lowers Blood Pressure
To test whether or not cannabis lowers blood pressure, the researchers studied patients 60+ for three months. They tested subjects before and after giving them a cannabis prescription. These tests included 24-hours ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, ECG, blood tests, and anthropometric (height, weight, etc.) measurements.
Participants either smoked cannabis or took cannabis oil.
The results were clear. The systolic (top or first) number and diastolic (bottom or second) numbers came down by 5 points and 4.5 points respectively. However, the percentage of “dippers” (people who see natural low points in their blood pressure) came down dramatically. They almost doubled from 27.3% before treatment to 45.5% after.
Perhaps an equally important find was that blood pressure was lowered at its peak about three hours after taking cannabis.
No other changes in ECG or blood tests were noted.
Cannabis Consumption Increases in Older Adults
The research could also mean doctors should be noting blood pressure changes in their patients. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the number of Americans age 65 and older who used cannabis increased 75 per cent from 2015 to 2018. (Please see link to full article below.) It’s not clear if that refers to medical cannabis or recreational cannabis. There aren’t any clear stats on older Canadian adults. But there is evidence that older Canadians are embracing medical cannabis more to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s.
So, it’s interesting to think to consider that cannabis could affect blood pressure, too.
Does This Confirm That Cannabis Lowers Blood Pressure in Everyone?
Of course, more cannabis research is needed. Not least of all, there would need to be a larger study to duplicate the results. Further, this study only tested patients over 60 years old (mean age, 70). It’s far from clear whether cannabis lowers blood pressure for everyone.
Nobody is sure why or how cannabis lowers blood pressure either. But cannabis has been shown to treat a whole host of medical issues including epilepsy and pain relief. There are clear public health benefits of cannabis as well.
Researchers are onto something though.
“Cannabis research is in its early stages,” said Doug Seserman, chief executive officer of American Associates at Ben-Gurion. “This new study is one of several that has been published recently by BGU on the medicinal benefits of cannabis.”
Here’s hoping researchers elsewhere can also find proof that cannabis lowers blood pressure.
Click here to view full story at www.ajc.com
This editorial content from the LPC News Team provides analysis, insight, and perspective on current news articles. Are you part of the legal cannabis industry in Canada? Add Your Listing and get found by a qualified audience.
