Does cannabis make you slim?

People who use cannabis daily may be thinner than those who don't, according to a new study.

Researchers found that the people who used cannabis every day had a Body Mass Index (BMI) that was 3% lower on average.

«There is a common belief that suggests that people who consume People who use cannabis feel hungrier, », and that they would eat a lot and gain weight, but we found that this isn't necessarily the case," said the study's lead author, Isabelle C. Beulaygue of the University of Miami.

In this study, the researchers followed more than 13,000 adults aged 18 to 26. They collected body measurements to calculate the participants’ BMIs and assessed their cannabis use. Six years later, when the participants were between the ages of 24 and 32, the researchers reassessed their cannabis use and BMIs.

Women's BMIs were, on average, 3.1% lower among cannabis users, while men's were 2.7% lower.

Previous research on the link between cannabis use and weight had yielded mixed results. For example, in a small study In a study dating back to 1988 and involving 6 people, researchers gave participants 2 to 3 fake joints per day for 7 days. Then, for 6 days, they were given the same number of real joints. During the second half of the study, the participants consumed an additional 40% calories and gained an average of 3 kilos.

A more recent study A study published in 2015 also suggested a link between medical cannabis use and a reduced risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

One of the strengths of the current study is that the researchers examined various factors in the participants’ lives that can typically influence a person’s weight, such as diets, exercise, and alcohol consumption. Even when these factors are taken into account, the link between cannabis use and a lower BMI remains, according to the researchers.

The study's lead researcher in no way promotes the cannabis as a way to lose weight. The study also does not prove that smoking cannabis causes people to lose weight or helps them avoid gaining weight. Rather, it shows that there is a link between cannabis use and a lower BMI, according to Beulaygue.

Researchers have not yet explained this link and do not know what mechanism might account for it. However, previous research has suggested that people who use cannabis may clear sugar from their bloodstream more quickly, which, in turn, could prevent weight gain.