Long-Term Pot Use Tied to Gum Disease

Long-Term Pot Use Tied to Gum Disease

Besides gum health, researchers assessed lung function, risk factors for heart disease and diabetes

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking marijuana for decades may result in gum disease and potential tooth loss, a new study indicates.

In an analysis of about 1,000 people who used pot and/or tobacco in New Zealand, those who smoked pot for 20 years didn't have notable health problems, except for gum disease, the researchers said.

"Unlike tobacco smoking, cannabis smoking is associated with few physical health problems in midlife, with the exception of periodontal disease," said lead researcher Madeline Meier, an assistant professor of psychology at Arizona State University.

Besides gum health, the researchers assessed lung function, risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, and systemic inflammation, which could indicate a severe response to trauma or infection.

The study can't prove that pot causes gum, or periodontal, disease. Still, "physicians should convey to patients that their cannabis use puts them at risk for tooth loss," Meier said.

Meier can't say why pot seems to be associated with poor dental health. "Our analyses show that this association was not explained by tobacco smoking, alcohol abuse or less tooth brushing and flossing," she said.

However, Meier isn't saying that marijuana doesn't have negative consequences.

"We don't want people to think, 'Hey, marijuana can't hurt me,' because research based on this same sample of New Zealanders has shown that marijuana use is associated with increased risk of psychotic illness, IQ decline, and downward socioeconomic mobility," she said.

In addition, the researchers didn't follow the participants long enough to see whether pot increased the risk for diseases that develop later in life, such as heart disease and cancer, Meier said.

Study co-author Avshalom Caspi added that while the drug might not be all bad, long-term use can have some harmful effects.

"What we're seeing is that cannabis may be harmful in some respects, but possibly not in every way," said Caspi, a professor of psychology at Duke University, in Durham, N.C. "We need to recognize that heavy recreational cannabis use does have some adverse consequences, but overall damage to physical health is not apparent in this study."

from WebMD Health http://ift.tt/1ZdGhtN
via IFTTT