Study: seniors are more active when they use cannabis

While Americans over the age of 50 are increasingly turning to medical cannabis, or simply for recreational use, and constitute the fastest-growing consumer population, a study nuances the clichés of the lazy stoner and the health risks associated with inactivity.

«Compared to older adult non-consumers,» says the study from the University of Colorado at Boulder, «older adult cannabis users had a lower [body mass index] at the beginning of the study, engaged in more sports-related exercise during the study, and engaged in more sports-related activity at the end of the study.»

In other words, not only did adults over 60 who consumed Cannabis were generally in better shape than their abstinent peers, but responded better to the four-month study, essentially a clinician-prescribed physical activity regimen.

«These results suggest that it may be easier for older adults who acknowledge their cannabis use to increase and maintain their exercise behavior, potentially because cannabis users have lower body weights than their non-cannabis-using peers,» the study authors wrote. «At a minimum, the evidence suggests that cannabis use does not interfere with older adults» ability to engage in physical activity, participate in a supervised exercise program, or increase their fitness following physical activity."

The authors caution, however, that these results are preliminary and should be confirmed by further studies. For example, they don't know exactly why cannabis use is associated with lower BMI scores, or why people who use cannabis respect their training schedules more.

«Future work,» says the study, «should use methods that allow targeted exploration of the mechanisms by which cannabis might be associated with exercise, whether via lower body weight, increased pleasure, decreased pain or faster recovery.»

All these potential factors, the team noted, have been evoked by pre-existing research. «Discovering the role of cannabis as a potential facilitator of physical activity in the elderly may be promising.»