Cannabis boosts the immune system of HIV patients

According to a study in the newspaper Drug and Alcohol Dependence, people living with HIV who have used cannabis have higher CD4 and CD8 counts than those who have not used it. CD4 and CD8 cells are subtypes of white blood cells that help with the immune response.

A team of researchers from Virginia State University and the University of Florida’s HIV/AIDS Research Center evaluated differences in lymphocyte counts among HIV-infected patients whose urine tests were negative for THC compared to a positive THC urine test.

The authors explain: «After adjusting our results for demographic and HIV-related variables, THC-positive patients had significantly higher CD4 and CD8 counts than their THC-negative counterparts.» The current findings are consistent with previous research, which reported that daily cannabis users had higher CD4 counts and lower viral loads than their counterparts who used cannabis less regularly.”

They conclude: «This preliminary study shows that patients who test positive for the THC »have better HIV-related immune function than people who do not use cannabis, even though they are not statistically different across various HIV-related demographic variables. The current findings suggest that cannabis may have a beneficial role beyond symptom relief."

Previous Studies

In 2011, another study had demonstrated THC's potential to combat HIV. The study had been conducted on monkeys and showed that administering THC twice a day resulted in a significant reduction in tissue damage in the stomach and a significant increase in the number of normal cells.

THC causes microbial translocation. During HIV infection, the virus spreads rapidly and kills a large number of cells in the stomach and intestines. The gaps in the cell walls created by this process facilitate the passage of HIV into the bloodstream.

When THC is introduced into this environment, it activates the CB2 receptors in the intestine to produce new bacterial cells that prevent the virus from passing through the cell walls. In summary, THC helps prevent HIV from entering the bloodstream by rebuilding the intestinal cells that HIV had destroyed.

«When we began this study, we thought THC would increase the viral load. This gives us a little more insight into the potential mechanisms involved in modulating the infection,» explained Patricia E. Molina, the lead researcher on the study.