Medical Cannabis Cuts Blood Pressure in Older Adults, according to Ben-Gurion University Researchers

And they told him: “Yosef is still alive; yes, he is ruler over the whole land of Egypt.” His heart went numb, for he did not believe them.

Genesis

45:

26

(the israel bible)

February 8, 2021

3 min read

Medical cannabis (marijuana) may lower high blood pressure in older adults, according to a new discovery by researchers from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev and its affiliated Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba. 

The study, published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine under the title “Cannabis is associated with blood pressure reduction in older adults – A 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring study” is the first of its kind to focus on the effect of cannabis on blood pressure, heart rate and metabolic parameters in adults 60 and above who have hypertension. The researchers suggest that the relief from pain – the indication for prescription cannabis in most patients – may also have contributed to a reduction in blood pressure.

“Older adults are the fastest growing group of medical cannabis users, yet evidence on cardiovascular safety for this population is scarce,” said Dr. Ran Abuhasira of the BGU Faculty of Health Sciences and the BGU-Soroka Cannabis Clinical Research Institute. “The aim of this study was to assess the effect of cannabis on blood pressure, heart rate and metabolic parameters in older adults with hypertension. It is part of our ongoing effort to provide clinical research on the actual physiological effects of cannabis over time.”

 

Despite the significant rise in use, the current evidence on the cardiovascular safety of medical cannabis in older adults is scarce, the team wrote. Recently, the American Heart Association issued a position statement urging caution in use of medical cannabis in older adults due to the possible detrimental cardiovascular effects.

 

A total of 38 participants were recruited to the study, and 26 of them continued cannabis treatment and completed follow-up of three months since treatment began. The five patients who stopped cannabis treatment due to adverse effect reported their reasons for stopping – nausea, decreased appetite, somnolence, dizziness, anxiety, headaches and delusions.

 

The 26 remaining patients with a mean age of 70.42, 53.8% of them females, completed the study. They were evaluated using 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, electrocardiograms (ECGs), blood tests and body measurements – both before and three months after initiating cannabis therapy. Cannabis dosage was determined according to the reports of the participants. Most participants used cannabis oil (76.9%) and only 4 participants (15.4%) used smoking cannabis cigarettes. Every cigarette puff was calculated as containing 55.5 mg of active substances and each drop of oil as 0.05 ml. These values were multiplied by the exact concentration of every specific cannabis product. 

 

In the study, researchers found a significant reduction in 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure values, with the lowest point occurring three hours after ingesting cannabis either orally via oil extracts or by smoking it. Patients showed reductions in blood pressure in both daytime and nighttime, with more significant changes at night.

Several studies reported increased rates of irregular heart beat (arrythmias) among cannabis users, they reported. Generally, our study showed that the prevalence of arrhythmias did not change significantly after three months of cannabis use.

 

Nevertheless, the rhythm assessment (two ECG recordings) used in the study has a low sensitivity in detecting arrhythmias. Continuous methods for monitoring, such as 24-hours ECG monitoring or longer, and a larger sample size are needed to better determine changes in rates of cardiac arrhythmias.

 

“Cannabis research is in its early stages and BGU is at the forefront of evaluating clinical use based on scientific studies,” concluded Doug Seserman, chief executive officer of American Associates of BGU. “This new study is one of several that has been published recently by BGU on the medicinal benefits of cannabis.”

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