A research team has made the discovery that cannabis may have benefits for those suffering from heart problems. At a recent meeting of the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, Dr. Oluwole Adegbala, medical resident at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey, presented the findings of an unpublished study on the link between cannabis use and heart failure. Previous research has suggested links between cannabis use and heart problems, and the research team fully expected to find evidence supporting claims that cannabis users were at greater risk of heart-related health problems.
Instead, the team was “surprised” to find that cannabis users were less likely to experience atrial fibrillation (A-fib), an irregularity of the heartbeat that can worsen the symptoms of heart failure, compared to non-users. Dr. Adegbala and his colleagues analyzed a database of over 6 million patients suffering from heart failure who were admitted to the hospital between 2007 and 2014. Around 23,000 of these patients reportedly used cannabis but were not considered dependent on the drug, and another 1,200 patients were considered dependent cannabis users, LiveScience…